Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, strongly opposed U.S. President Donald Trump's "Gaza Plan" on the 13th (local time). He stated that forced displacement of Palestinian residents should never occur.
According to Italy's ANSA news agency, Cardinal Parolin said at an event held in the Vatican that "Palestinian residents must remain on their land," emphasizing that "this is one of the fundamental principles of the Holy See. Forced displacement cannot be allowed." He added, "Forcibly relocating Palestinian residents to other areas would escalate regional tensions," and pointed out that "it is an absurd idea because neighboring countries such as Jordan also oppose it."
Cardinal Parolin stated, "Our solution is a two-state system (where Israel and Palestine coexist as separate states). Only then can hope be given to the Palestinian residents." Earlier, President Trump announced a plan to relocate about two million Palestinian residents to neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt, while the U.S. would occupy Gaza and develop it into a marine resort city. This plan was directly refuted by a senior Vatican official.
Appointed as Vatican Secretary of State with the inauguration of Pope Francis in 2013, Cardinal Parolin is responsible for the Vatican's political and diplomatic activities. He is considered the second highest-ranking official in the Vatican hierarchy after the Pope. Previously, Pope Francis also strongly condemned President Trump's large-scale illegal immigrant deportation policy on the 11th.
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