While hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Donald Trump stated that all two million Palestinians from Gaza should be relocated to countries such as Egypt and Jordan due to the destruction caused by Israeli military actions against Hamas following the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. He expressed confidence that the residents of Gaza want to return to their homes solely because they have no alternative.
The USA, as Trump stated, will take control of the Gaza Strip. «We will be responsible for disposing of unexploded ordnance and rebuilding Gaza, turning it into a mecca for jobs and tourism», — quotes the US president The New York Times.
He proposed that countries in the region finance the relocation of Gaza's residents to new places, and when asked how many Palestinians he meant, he replied: «all of them», adding that «they will be thrilled». When asked if he would force them to leave even if they didn't want to, Trump said: «I don't think they will tell me «no».
Meanwhile, Trump dismissed objections from Arab countries such as Egypt and Jordan, suggesting he could persuade them otherwise.
Control over Gaza has been one of the main flashpoints of the Arab-Israeli conflict for decades, and the idea of relocating its Palestinian residents harks back to an era when great Western powers redrew regional maps and moved populations without regard for local autonomy, writes NYT. Meanwhile, the Geneva Conventions, ratified by both the USA and Israel, prohibit forced population transfers.
Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri stated that Trump's proposal to control the Gaza Strip would be seen as «creating chaos and tension» in the region.
«Our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to proceed, and what is required is to end the occupation and aggression against our people, not to expel them from their land», — stated a senior Hamas official.
Photo: The New York Times