Berlin - Saba:
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described today US President Donald Trump's proposal that the United States could take ownership of the Gaza Strip and redevelop it while transferring its residents as a "scandal".
This came during a televised debate between Scholz and his conservative opponent, leader of the Christian Democratic Union party Friedrich Merz, in preparation for the German legislative elections scheduled for February 23.
When asked about his opinion on Trump's proposal to redevelop Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East", Scholz replied: "(It is) a scandal. In addition, (Riviera) is a really terrible expression", given the extent of the destruction witnessed in Gaza.
He added: "Resettling the population is unacceptable and violates international law", and referred to the position of Egypt and Jordan rejecting the displacement of Palestinians.
In turn, Mertz said: "I share this assessment. This (proposal) is one of a series of proposals from the US administration that certainly raise concerns, but we must wait to see what is seriously meant by it and how it is implemented - perhaps there is a lot of empty rhetoric in this."
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