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Trump wants Jordan, Egypt to take in Palestinians to 'clean out' Gaza

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Donald Trump has been speaking about his plans for dealing with the rebuilding of Gaza. /Mandel Ngan and Eyad Baba/AFP
Donald Trump has been speaking about his plans for dealing with the rebuilding of Gaza. /Mandel Ngan and Eyad Baba/AFP

Donald Trump has been speaking about his plans for dealing with the rebuilding of Gaza. /Mandel Ngan and Eyad Baba/AFP

"It's literally a demolition site, 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 they can maybe live in peace for a change."

The words of new U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend. He has proposed Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations taking in more Palestinians from Gaza, where Israel's military assault has caused a dire humanitarian situation and killed tens of thousands.

Washington said last year it opposed the forcible displacement of Palestinians. Rights groups and humanitarian agencies have for months raised concerns over Gaza, with the war displacing nearly the entire population and leading to a hunger crisis.

The White House has also faced criticism for backing Israel but has maintained support for its ally, saying it is helping Israel defend against Iran-backed militant groups like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

A drone view shows Palestinians waiting to return to their homes in northern Gaza. /Stringer/Reuters
A drone view shows Palestinians waiting to return to their homes in northern Gaza. /Stringer/Reuters

A drone view shows Palestinians waiting to return to their homes in northern Gaza. /Stringer/Reuters

With a new administration in town, Trump, during a question-and-answer session with reporters onboard Air Force One, revealed details of his phone call with Jordan's King Abdullah on Saturday.

"I said to him I'd love you to take on more because I'm looking at the whole Gaza strip right now and it's a mess, it's a real mess. I'd like him to take people. I'd like Egypt to take people," Trump told reporters, adding he would speak to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday.

"You're talking about a million and half people, and we just clean out that whole thing."

Trump is a former property developer and when asked if the potential housing for Gazans in other countries could be temporary or long-term, he said: "Could be either."

The population in the Palestinian enclave prior to the start of the Israel-Gaza war was around 2.3 million.

The 15-month war between Israel and Hamas has reduced Gaza to rubble. Israeli airstrikes have damaged or destroyed around 60 percent of buildings, including schools and hospitals, and around 92 percent of homes, according to the UN. 

The UN also says around 90 percent of Gazans have been displaced with many residents forced to move repeatedly, some over 10 times.

As part of the peace deal between Hamas and Israel, more hostages were released on Saturday after being held captive in Gaza since October 2023./ Haim Zach/Government Press Office/Reuters
As part of the peace deal between Hamas and Israel, more hostages were released on Saturday after being held captive in Gaza since October 2023./ Haim Zach/Government Press Office/Reuters

As part of the peace deal between Hamas and Israel, more hostages were released on Saturday after being held captive in Gaza since October 2023./ Haim Zach/Government Press Office/Reuters

Regional response to Trump

It's safe to say Trump's latest Gaza solution has had a mixed reaction.

First of all Israel. Senior officials suggested Trump's statement on "Gazans emigrating to Muslim countries" was not "a slip of the tongue but part of a much broader movement than is reflected."

Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's Minister of Finance and Member of the Political and Security Cabinet, said: "After 76 years in which most of the population of Gaza was held by force under difficult conditions in order to preserve the ambition to destroy the State of Israel, the idea of ​​helping them find other places to start a new, good life is a great idea. 

"Only thinking outside the box of new solutions will bring a solution of peace and security. I will work tirelessly with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet so that there is an operational plan that will implement this as soon as possible."

There has been no immediate comment from Egypt, Jordan, Israel or Palestinian officials.

Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said the Palestinians "will derail" Trump's proposal to relocate them to other countries "as they have foiled every plan for displacement and alternative homelands over the decades, our people will also foil such projects."

He added: "We confirm that our people, with all their support, are capable of rebuilding Gaza."

Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian Islamist movement allied with Hamas in Gaza, said Trump's comments encouraged "the continued perpetration of war crimes and crimes against humanity."

These "deplorable statements align with the worst aspects of the Zionist far-right agenda and continue the policy of denying the existence of the Palestinian people," the movement added in a statement. 

Source(s): Reuters ,AFP
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