President Donald Trump has urged Jordan, Egypt, and other neighboring Arab states to accept Palestinian refugees, displaced in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
Given the history of Gaza being used by Palestinian terrorists to launch attacks on Israel, President Trump suggested relocating a large number of Gaza residents to establish lasting peace in the area.
“I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change,” the president said.
“You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over,'” he added.
While the mainstream media is outraged at the remarks, Trump’s assertions are based on historical realities. Jordan, already a majority Palestinian state, was carved out of the British Mandate for Palestine in 1946. Egypt governed Gaza till the Six-Day War of 1967.
Many of today’s so-called ‘Palestinian refugees’ are actually Arabs, who migrated from neighboring Arab countries in the wake of the economic boom created by Jewish immigration in the early 20th century.
The Associated Press reported the president’s remarks:
President Donald Trump said he would like to see Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations increase the number of Palestinian refugees they are accepting from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough of the population to “just clean out” the war-torn area to create a virtual clean slate. (…)“I’d like Egypt to take people,” Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over.’”Trump said he complimented Jordan for having successfully accepted Palestinian refugees and that he told the king, “I’d love for you to take on more, cause I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.”(…) Trump said the part of the world that encompasses Gaza, has “had many, many conflicts” over centuries. He said resettling “could be temporary or long term.”“Something has to happen,” Trump said. “But it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there.” He added: “So, I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”
The relocation of Gaza residents for the duration of the rebuilding effort could benefit the local population and help eradicate Hamas, an Israeli commentator suggested.
“The idea that had been floated by Israelis and Americans in the business community early in the war could provide a solution for the day after the war and improve the financial distress of the Strip’s residents while perhaps reducing their motivation for war against Israel,” the Israeli news website YNET observed. “Rebuilding the Gaza Strip void of most of its population would also prevent Hamas and other Islamist factions from rebuilding their military capabilities, including underground infrastructure and rocket launch pads.”
Jordan rejected the U.S. president’s suggestion. “Jordan’s foreign minister said the kingdom was “firm and unwavering” in its rejection of displacing Palestinians,” the BBC reported.
Egypt also rejected the U.S. proposal:
Palestinian leaders in Qatar, the leading Arab backer of Hamas, rebuffed the idea of resettlement, the UK newspaper Guardian reported:
Mustafa Barghouti, a senior Palestinian politician, said he “completely rejected” Trump’s comments, the Palestinian news agency Ma’an reported. Barghouti warned against attempts at “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza, saying: “The Palestinian people are committed to remaining in their homeland.” (…)Qatari officials, who mediated the pause in fighting in Gaza, described “any plan that would end with relocation or reoccupation” as a red line.
Meanwhile, the week-old ceasefire ushered in by the hostages-for-terrorists deal is faltering amid repeated violations and provocations by Hamas.
Israel on Saturday halted the implementation of the agreement after Hamas refused to release a female civilian hostage in keeping with the deal. According to The Times of Israel, Israel “will not allow Gazans to reach the north of the Strip until Hamas arranges for the release of civilian Arbel Yehud, who was supposed to be freed over the weekend, in accordance with the deal’s stipulation that civilian women be freed first.”
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was forced to fire warning shots after unidentified Palestinians were seen approaching military posts in Gaza. “In the central Gaza Strip, IDF troops identified several gatherings of dozens of suspects that posed a threat to the forces. The troops fired warning shots to address the threat,” the Israeli military disclosed in a statement on Sunday.
No injuries were reported from the incident, the IDF confirmed.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY