Washington, 6 February 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended US President Donald Trump's plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, brushing aside international criticism of the proposal.

Netanyahu called Trump's plan, which would involve relocating hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, "the first good idea" he has heard, during an interview with Fox News late on Wednesday.

He framed the plan as a temporary relocation for the benefit of the residents, despite critics arguing it could lead to the permanent displacement of around 2 million people.

Netanyahu backed the idea of "allowing Gazans who want to leave to leave."

"I mean, what's wrong with that? They can leave, and they can then come back, they can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza."

Trump's proposal offers the chance to "create a different future for everyone."

Following a meeting with Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, Trump left many observers stunned by saying the US "will take over the Gaza Strip" and that the Palestinians living in the territory should be relocated to other countries.

Trump added that Gaza could become "the Riviera of the Middle East" where anyone, including Palestinians, could live.

The devastating war in Gaza was triggered by the attacks led by the Palestinian militant organization Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 abducted.

The coastal strip is in ruins and experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe. More than 47,400 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. The number does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.

UN likens Trump's plan to 'ethnic cleansing'

The United Nations have rejected Trump's plans, saying that "any forced displacement of people is tantamount to ethnic cleansing."

Quoting from a speech UN Secretary General António Guterres was set to make later on Wednesday, his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said that when searching for solutions, "we must not make the problem worse."

"It is vital that we stay true to the bedrock of international law, it is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing," Dujarric said, after being asked for comment on Trump's plan for Gaza.

Guterres will reaffirm the UN's commitment to the two-state solution, the spokesman added.

Domestic backlash

Trump's plans to bring the Gaza Strip under US control and forcibly relocate the Palestinians living there ignited heated debate, including among his Republican Party.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a loyal Trump ally, called the proposal "problematic" and expressed doubt about how keen the US public is to potentially send troops to Gaza to help carry it out.

Asked about whether Trump was prepared to send US forces to Gaza to remove Palestinian residents by force, Leavitt was again evasive, only saying that the president "has not committed to US troops in the region."

There was also a hail of denunciations from the opposition Democrats.

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, speaking to broadcaster MSNBC, expressed astonishment: "He just said that it will be US policy to forcibly displace 2 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. That is ethnic cleansing by another name. He said the US would then own the Gaza Strip and we would develop it and other countries would take these Palestinians."

Palestinian-American congresswoman Rashida Tlaib also blasted Trump.

"This president is openly calling for ethnic cleansing while sitting next to a genocidal war criminal," she wrote on X, referring to Netanyahu.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy posted that Trump had "totally lost it" and said the idea of a US takeover of Gaza is "like a bad, sick joke."

What does international law say?

Rule 129 of customary international humanitarian law states: "Parties to an international armed conflict may not deport or forcibly transfer the civilian population of an occupied territory, in whole or in part, unless the security of the civilians involved or imperative military reasons so demand."

While there are exceptions to the law, none of these is likely to apply in the case of Gaza.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), customary international humanitarian law is as much a part of international law as the four Geneva Conventions signed in 1949 which aim to protect the human rights of civilians, the injured and prisoners of war during conflict.