Trump's Gaza plan triggers international condemnation

President Donald Trump's plan for the US to take over war-torn Gaza and create a "Riviera of the Middle East" after resettling Palestinians elsewhere has shattered US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and sparked widespread criticism.

The shock move from Trump, a former New York property developer, was swiftly condemned by international powers, with Saudi Arabia, which Trump hopes will establish ties with Israel, rejecting the plan outright.

Turkey called the proposal "unacceptable" and France said it risked destabilising the Middle East.

Countries from Russia, China, Spain, Ireland and the UK said they continued to support the two-state solution that has formed the basis of Washington's policy in the region for decades.

Trump, in his first major Middle East policy announcement, said he envisioned building a resort where international communities could live in harmony after over 15 months of Israeli bombardment devastated the tiny coastal enclave and killed more than 47,000 people, by Palestinian tallies.

Trump's son-in-law and former aide, Jared Kushner, last year described Gaza as "valuable" waterfront property.

The casual proposal sent diplomatic shockwaves across the Middle East and around the globe. China said it opposed the forced transfer of Palestinians.

"China has always believed that Palestinians governing Palestine is the basic principle of post-conflict governance," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, adding Beijing backs a two-state solution in the region.

Some of the toughest criticism came from France, which said the forced displacement of Gazans would be a serious violation of international law, an attack on the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians and destabilise the region.

An official from Palestinian group Hamas, which ruled the Gaza Strip before fighting Israel in a brutal war there, said Trump's statement about taking over the enclave was "ridiculous and absurd".

"Any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region," Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters, saying Hamas remains committed to the ceasefire accord with Israel and "ensuring the success of the negotiation in the second phase".

It is not clear whether Trump will go ahead with his controversial plan or is simply taking an extreme position as a bargaining strategy.

Trump provided no specifics of his plan, unveiled at a joint press conference on Tuesday with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

PERMANENT DISPLACEMENT

Russia believes a settlement in the Middle East is only possible on the basis of a two-state solution, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, while Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said "Gaza is the land of Gazan Palestinians and they must stay in Gaza."

Amnesty International Executive Director Paul O'Brien said removing all Palestinians from Gaza is "tantamount to destroying them as a people".

The announcement followed Trump's shock proposal earlier on Tuesday for the permanent resettlement of the more than two million Palestinians from Gaza to neighbouring countries.

A UN damage assessment released in January showed that clearing over 50 million tonnes of rubble left in Gaza after the war could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion.

The US taking a direct stake in Gaza would run counter to longtime policy in Washington and for much of the international community, which has held that Gaza would be part of a future Palestinian state that includes the occupied West Bank.

"He's totally lost it...A US invasion of Gaza would lead to the slaughter of thousands of US troops and decades of war in the Middle East. It's like a bad, sick joke," said US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.

Trump's proposal raises questions whether Saudi Arabia would be willing to join a renewed US-brokered push for a historic normalisation of relations with US ally Israel.

Saudi Arabia, also a key US ally, rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia said it would not establish ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state, contradicting Trump's claim that Riyadh was not demanding a Palestinian homeland.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom's position in "a clear and explicit manner" that does not allow for any interpretation under any circumstances, the statement said.

Trump said that he plans to visit Gaza, Israel and Saudi Arabia, but did not say when he plans to go.

Netanyahu would not be drawn into discussing the proposal, other than to praise Trump for trying a new approach.

The Israeli leader, whose military had engaged in more than a year of fierce fighting with Hamas in Gaza, said Trump was "thinking outside the box with fresh ideas" and was "showing willingness to puncture conventional thinking."