Alwaght- The US president Donald Trump on Sunday in controversial remarks said that he wanted to relocate the Palestinians from Gaza and that the neighboring countries should accept more migrants from this coastal enclave.
Trump described this proposal as a strategy for "effective evacuation" of Gaza, to relocate Gaza residents under the pretext of reducing the problems of this war-torn strip.
The newly inaugurated US president said that he talked to King Abdul II of Jordan and planned to talk to the Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi.
Trump justified his remarks and claimed that his proposal was in favor of the Palestinians, adding: "Gaza is practically a ruin right now... Almost everything is demolished and people are dying there... So I'd rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where maybe they can live in peace for a change."
The Trump plan was proposed by Tel Aviv leaders at the beginning of the Gaza war, but Jordan and Egypt rejected such a proposal, and with Trump's return to office, this scenario is back on the table. Given Trump's ambitious nature, perhaps this time he will use financial incentives or, if necessary, political and economic pressure to force the leaders of Jordan and Egypt to accept and settle more than two million Palestinians.
Trump intends to pressure the Arab regimes to support this proposed plan and to agree to shoulder billions of dollars in spending under the pretext that Gaza has been destroyed and the purpose of transferring Gaza residents abroad is to rebuild and create favorable living conditions in this strip.
Palestinian reactions and Israeli welcome
Palestinians who have not yielded to the Israeli regime under massive devastation and severe economic siege said that they will not give in to Trump's plans.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem reacted to the Trump's controversial plan, saying that "Trump's remarks are dangerous and in line with the positions of the Israeli far-right. This plan will not be implemented and no Palestinian will accept it."
Sami Abu Zuhri, a leader of Hamas, said that people of Gaza will not leave their land under any circumstances.
Also Islamic Jihad strongly condemned Trump's plan in a statement, stressing that these ideas are in line with the worst agenda of the Israeli far-right and deny the existence of the Palestinian nation.
The resistance movement called on all countries, especially Egypt and Jordan, to reject Trump's plan, stressing that the Palestinian people will thwart any attempt aimed at their relocation.
However, the plan was welcomed by Israeli officials and media.
The esigned Israeli Minister of Internal Security Itamar Ben-Gvir in an X post said: "I congratulate President Trump on his initiative to transfer Gaza residents to Jordan and Egypt. Encouraging voluntary migration has been one of my main requests to Netanyahu. When the president of the world's largest power proposes voluntary migration of Palestinians, it is wise for our government to encourage and implement it."
According to The New Arab, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich publicly welcomed Trump's idea, saying in a statement that "the idea of helping them find other places to start a better life is a great idea. After years of glorifying terrorism, they will be able to establish new and good lives in other places... Only out-of-the-box thinking with new solutions will bring a solution of peace and security... I will, with God's help, work with the prime minister and the cabinet to ensure there is an operational plan to implement this as soon as possible."
Israeli media reported that Trump's remarks about relocation of Gaza residents to other Arab countries is part of a broader plan.
Reviving the doomed "deal of the century"
Relocation of Gazans to Egypt and Jordan is part of general framework of Trump's "deal of the century", a controversial initiative to settle the eight-decade Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
The initiative, first put forth in 2019, supported the formation of a Palestinian state in parts of the West Bank and Gaza, but its borders would be severely restricted and many important Palestinian areas, including Eastern Al-Quds (Jerusalem), would remain under Israeli control.
Trump's plan also stresses that Al-Quds should be the capital of the Israeli regime, which was one of the main points of disagreement and protests by the Palestinians who wanted Eastern Al-Quds as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
In order to bring the idea to existence, Trump relocated the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Al-Quds at the time and recognized Israel's sovereignty over Al-Quds.
In addition, the Trump plan allows the Israeli regime to annex parts of the West Bank and strategic areas to the occupied territories, thereby legitimizing Israeli settlements that the UN and many countries label "illegal."
The Trump administration believes that providing the Palestinians with an autonomous region with limited political autonomy is a better alternative to a fully independent Palestinian state. In this context, the idea of relocating Gaza residents to Egypt or Jordan could be part of a broader strategy to reduce the need for an independent state in the Palestinian territories.
According to this idea, by moving the population of Gaza to Jordan and Egypt, the number of Palestinians in the occupied territories will decrease and the Palestinians will give up their minimal demands in the Arab peace plan and the Oslo Accords, which will help Israel to occupy most of the West Bank— something that has been repeatedly raised by hardline ministers in the Netanyahu government who plan to form a purely Jewish state by expelling the Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank.
Undoubtedly, by encouraging the Palestinians to migrate to Arab countries, their return path will become tougher, and this is what Netanyahu and his cabal are yearning for. Just as the Palestinians of the 1948 and 1967 territories did not return to their land after being displaced, the same fate will befall the residents of Gaza if they move out of the enclave.
Some observers suggest that Trump and his advisors believe that this relocation could provide better economic opportunities for Palestinians in neighboring countries while at the same time reducing Israel's security burden, because from the Israeli viewpoint, as long as Hamas and other resistance groups are present in Gaza, security will be a pipe dream to the occupiers. So, Tel Aviv leaders are pushing to do away with these groups on the strength of Trump's backing.
Consequence of taking in Palestinians for Egypt and Jordan
Even if Trump’s plan does not seek to split parts of Egypt and Jordan to create a small Palestinian state, the influx of Palestinian refugees can have a variety of consequences for these countries.
If large numbers of Palestinians take refuge in Jordan, the country could face significant economic and social pressures, straining its limited resources, infrastructure, public services, and labor market. Egypt would face similar challenges. In addition to economic pressures, many of these refugees could end up living in impoverished areas, which could create social problems and reduce the quality of life for Egyptian citizens.
On the other hand, taking in Gazans can spark political tensions in Jordan and impact Amman's relations with the Israeli regime and other countries. Currently, the survivors and subsequent generations of the 1948 Palestinian refugees constitute the majority of Jordan's population, and an increase in this number could have political consequences for the country's governance, in addition to further changing the demographic composition.
Accepting Palestinians will also bring about new political challenges to the Egyptian government, and odds are the opposition or Islamist groups mount pressures on el-Sisi for alignment with Washington and Tel Aviv’s policies
Aside from this, with regard to the public opinion's fury against Israel, should compromising Arab countries align with Israeli plots, waves of criticism will hit Egyptian and Jordanian officials.
