Most Gazans are Palestinian refugees or their descendants. Any attempt to move them from Gaza could evoke dark historical memories of what the Arab world calls the “Nakba.”
Jerusalem: US President Donald Trump on Saturday floated the idea that Jordan and Egypt should take more Palestinians from Gaza, where Israel’s military actions have killed tens of thousands and created a dire humanitarian situation. The idea was welcomed by Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, but Palestinian groups, including Islamic Jihad and Hamas, vowed to oppose it.
On Saturday, Trump said he had spoken to Jordan’s King Abdullah II about moving Palestinians out of Gaza. “I’d like Egypt to take people. And I’d like Jordan to take people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after his call with Jordan’s King Abdullah.
“It is 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,” Trump said, adding that he expected to talk to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday.
The finance minister of Israel, Bezalel Smotrich, an adamant opponent to a halt on the war in Gaza, expressed delight with Trump’s idea. “The idea of helping them find other places to start a better life is great. After years of glorifying terrorism, they can establish new and good lives in other places,” Smotrich said.
“Only out-of-the-box thinking with new solutions will bring a solution of peace and security. With God’s help, I will work with the prime minister and the cabinet to ensure there is an operational plan to implement this as soon as possible,” he added.
Most of the people of Gaza are Palestinian refugees or their descendants. The attempt to remove them from Gaza could reopen dark historical memories of what the Arab world calls the “Nakba” or catastrophe — the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s creation in 1948.
