A member of the Saudi Shura Council has criticised US President Donald Trump's proposal to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, arguing that transferring Israelis to Alaska and Greenland would be a better answer to Middle Eastern security.
Trump has mentioned evicting Palestinians from Gaza on multiple occasions, stating that he will carry out a massive renovation plan to turn the enclave into "the Riviera of the Middle East."
Following Trump's remarks, which were widely condemned by several major Arab, European, and other countries, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ironically suggested on Thursday that Palestinians should establish their state in Saudi Arabia rather than in their own country, dismissing the concept of Palestinian sovereignty.
"The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there," he stated.
"If he (Trump) truly wants to be a hero of peace and achieve stability and prosperity for the Middle East, he should relocate his beloved Israelis to the state of Alaska and then to Greenland—after annexing it," Shura Council member Yousef bin Trad Al-Saadoun wrote in an article for the Saudi newspaper Okaz on Friday.
He urged Palestinians to stay united, as "the worst is yet to come."
Palestinians, Arab countries, and many other governments around the world, including Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, have all strongly condemned Trump's idea.
Saadoun also rejected Netanyahu's plan to establish a Palestinian state on Saudi land.
"The Zionists and their allies must realise they will not succeed in dragging the Saudi leadership into media traps and false political pressures," he claimed.
The Saudi official also criticised Trump's decision-making, claiming that poor decisions are made by individuals who "ignore accumulated knowledge and expertise" and refuse to engage experts.
He also accused Washington of blindly following Israel's methods.
"The official foreign policy of the United States will seek the illegal occupation of sovereign land and the ethnic cleansing of its population—both of which are Israel's methods and constitute crimes against humanity."
On Sunday, Riyadh vehemently opposed Netanyahu's remarks about Palestinian statehood in Saudi Arabia, emphasising the Palestinian people's right to their land.
The Saudi Shura Council, whose members are selected by the king, advises on policy and legislation but has no legislative authority, concentrating on laws, economic programs, and social policies.
