Trump's Gaza takeover plan violates UN resolutions: Jordanian scholar

U.S. President Donald Trump's recent proposal for his country to take over the Gaza Strip is a breach of the two-state solution and a serious violation of UN resolutions, Jordanian scholar Omar Al-Armouti has said on Sunday.

Trump's proposal for the United States to take control of the Gaza Strip and redevelop it after relocating Palestinians has met with widespread condemnation from European, Middle Eastern and other international leaders.

While voicing his opposition, Al-Armouti emphasized the importance of the two-state solution as the path to lasting peace in the region, saying the proposal is eliminating the legitimacy of the State of Palestine.

"Legally and morally, Trump has no right to do this. It is not allowed. As everyone knows, the international community has been advocating for years a two-state solution to establish an independent State of Palestine. But Trump's ideas would put an end to the two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state, both of which are based on UN resolutions," he said.

Al-Armouti said Trump's Gaza plan will not promote peace and stability in the Middle East, but create chaos, adding that such ideas will inevitably lead to strong oppositions from the Arab world and countries around the globe.

"Not only Palestinians, but also Jordanians and the entire Arab world have voiced their strong opposition to Trump's remarks. The international community has also widely rejected his plan," he said.

Trump's Gaza takeover plan violates UN resolutions: Jordanian scholar

Trump's Gaza takeover plan violates UN resolutions: Jordanian scholar

Trump's Gaza takeover plan violates UN resolutions: Jordanian scholar

Trump's Gaza takeover plan violates UN resolutions: Jordanian scholar

Trump's Gaza takeover plan violates UN resolutions: Jordanian scholar

Japan's House of Councillors, the upper house of the National Diet of the country, passed a supplementary budget for fiscal year 2025 at a plenary session on Tuesday, pushing defense spending to a record high.

Since the House of Representatives, the lower house, has already passed the supplementary budget, the approval of the supplementary budget by the House of Councillors means it has been enacted by the National Diet.

The supplementary budget allocates an additional 1.1 trillion yen (about 7.7 billion U.S. dollars) for defense. Combined with the previously approved 9.9 trillion yen (about 69.2 billion U.S. dollars) defense budget, Japan's total defense spending for fiscal year 2025 reaches approximately 11 trillion yen (about 77 billion U.S. dollars), accounting for about 2 percent of its GDP, a record high that has drawn questioning and strong opposition from various quarters within Japan.

In fact, the increase in defense-related expenses had already sparked questioning and opposition when the government submitted the supplementary budget to an extraordinary Diet session on December 8.

Japanese citizens have rallies recently in various parts across the country, strongly protesting the government's disregard of public welfare and its continued advancement of military expansion.

"Japan's military spending has continued to increase while social security contributions are being cut. I oppose this move as we are not paying taxes to fund military expansion," said a protester.

In recent years, Japan has repeatedly breached the constraints of its postwar pacifist constitution, significantly increased its defense budget, promoted the export of lethal weapons, and plotted to revise the Three Non-Nuclear Principles.

The Three Non-Nuclear Principles, not possessing, not producing and not allowing introduction of nuclear weapons into Japanese territory, were first declared in the Diet, Japan's parliament, by then Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato in 1967 and viewed as a national credo.

Japan passes supplementary budget, pushing defense spending to record high