U.S. allies and adversaries alike on Wednesday denounced President Donald Trump’s proposal for the United States to take ownership of the Gaza Strip, force 2 million Palestinians to move to other countries and then turn the territory along the Mediterranean Sea into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” The world reaction to Trump’s suggestion, offered at a White House news conference Tuesday evening alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was swift and mostly universal in opposition to the idea advanced by the one-time New York real estate magnate. Britain, China, Germany, Ireland, Russia and Spain said they continue to support a two-state solution — creation of an independent Palestinian state that would include Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank existing next to Israel. The two-state proposal, aimed at ending decades of Middle East conflict and wars, has long been the bedrock of U.S. policy in the region even though Netanyahu’s government opposes it. Saudi Arabia, an important oil-producing American ally in the Middle East, weighed in quickly in a sharply worded statement, saying its call for an independent Palestinian state was a “firm, steadfast and unwavering position.” “Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year, as it was 10 years ago,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in support of a two-state solution...Read more