The Age / AP (Sydney Morning Herald) | Joseph Krauss | 28 January 2025
This plan is pure evil – Mark
US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Egypt and Jordan take in Palestinians from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip is being met with a hard “no” from at least one of the two US allies along with the Palestinians themselves, who fear Israel would never allow them to return.
Trump floated the idea at the weekend, saying he would urge the leaders of the two Arab countries to take in Gaza’s now largely homeless population, so that “we just clean out that whole thing”. He said resettling most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million could be temporary or long term.
“It’s literally a demolition site right now,” Trump said, referring to the vast destruction caused by Israel’s 15-month war with Hamas, now paused by a fragile ceasefire.
“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.
Hamas and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority condemned the idea. Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told journalists his country’s rejection of the proposed transfer of Palestinians was “firm and unwavering”.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said it categorically rejected any displacement of Palestinians from their land, be it “short term or long term”.
Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Trump’s remarks. “Our people will remain steadfast and will not leave their homeland,” he said a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Palestinian analyst Ghassan al-Khatib said Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, as well as the Jordanians and Egyptians, would reject Trump’s plan: “I don’t think that there is a place in reality for such an idea.”
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