'Truly horrifying': Former president Halimah Yacob slams Trump's remarks to 'take over' & 'own' Gaza

Former President Halimah Yacob has criticised remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 5, 2025 (Singapore time) over his proposals for Palestinians and the Gaza Strip.

Trump, with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side, said that the U.S. would "level" the Gaza Strip, "take over" and rebuild the territory, proposing that the Palestinians who live in the area could be relocated to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan, perhaps permanently.

Halimah Yacob's post

"Truly horrifying. A clear violation of international laws," said Halimah, in her Facebook post of the same day.

She included a screenshot of the Straits Times article about the Trump-Netanyahu press conference in her post.

"The Palestinians have suffered so much. The 750,000 Palestinians who were forced from their homes in 1948, the first Nakba, live in Gaza. Now a second Nakba?

This is the last indignity to inflict on the suffering Palestinians. With such rhetoric, where is the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, supposed to be negotiated and peace heading?"

The "Nakba", which means "catastrophe" in Arabic, refers to the mass displacement of Palestinians after a war with Israel in 1948, which led to a loss of their homes and property.

Halimah also referred to the ceasefire in Gaza, which was negotiated under the previous Biden Administration, with the involvement of countries like Qatar.

While some hostages abducted by Hamas have been exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, the ceasefire is only temporary, with further negotiations supposed to take place for the "second phase."

"With great power comes great responsibility," Halimah added. You can see her full post below:

Not the first time

Halimah has frequently spoken up about the war in Gaza over the past couple of years before Trump took over from Joe Biden as president, expressing her sorrow at the plight of the Palestinians affected by the war and condemning civilian casualties.

She has also lent her voice in support of a ceasefire.

Trump's remarks about relocating Palestinians slammed as "ethnic cleansing"

In his appearance with Netanyahu, Trump also did not rule out sending U.S. troops to Gaza and did not commit to a two-state solution or support an independent state of Palestine.

He also added that the U.S. could "own" the Gaza Strip and remake it into the "Riviera of the Middle East."

Trump's remarks, which doubled down on his earlier public remarks over "cleaning out" Gaza and permanently re-settling the Palestinians elsewhere, have been criticised by Hamas officials and other politicians as "ethnic cleansing".

Egypt and Jordan have both expressed concerns over accepting Palestinian refugees, with Egypt citing security concerns over possible militants being housed on their soil, and Jordan having already accepted over 2 million refugees with limited resources.

Both countries have also criticised any plan to permanently re-settle Palestinian refugees elsewhere as it overrides their right of return and would weaken the push for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

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Top image from AFP and Mothership.