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The U.S. president seems to see himself as Moses, leading the Palestinians to a new peaceful homeland — not to the Promised Land, but out of it
The first foreign leader that Trump welcomed at the White House was Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu — a very explicit hint to the Arab world about whose interests are prioritized at the White House. Moreover, the footage of the U.S. president gently moving the chair closer to Netanyahu became a hit on all Arab TV channels. It is no wonder, then, that on February 4 Netanyahu declared at a joint press conference with Trump:
«Thank you, Mr. President. It is an honor for me to be the first foreign leader you have invited to the White House during your second term. This is a testament to your friendship and support for the Jewish state and the Jewish people. I have said this before and will say it again: you are the best friend of Israel who has ever been in the White House».
He even presented Trump with two pagers — one gilded and one ordinary. This, too, served as a kind of message — a reminder to Israel’s Arab neighbors of their readiness to strike back at any time.
At the same press conference, Trump declared that Hamas must be destroyed. In his view, the Gaza Strip has become «a symbol of misery and destruction», and those currently in Gaza «should not be involved in rebuilding that place and should not remain there. Instead, he suggested that we «turn to countries with a good heart» that will provide the people of Gaza with new places to live. «All of this can be paid for by the wealthy countries of the region», he said, adding that in their new homes, the resettled people «will be able to live in beautiful, safe homes, in harmony and peace». He even proclaimed that Gaza would become «the Riviera of the Middle East». «People who live in hell will reside in world-class homes. The King of Jordan and the President of Egypt will open their hearts and help us do it», he said. Trump went on to announce that the United States would take control of Gaza and, after relocating the Palestinians to other countries, would take over the reconstruction of the Strip.
Where exactly will they be relocated? According to him, all of Gaza’s 1.8 million residents should move to countries like Egypt and Jordan.
The promise of «world-class» housing sounds appealing, but frankly, the idea of «countries with a good heart» willing to resettle Palestinians seems rather vague. Will Egypt and Jordan agree to take in refugees from Gaza? Jordan already has a sad history — it once hosted Palestinians, only to later fight them with tanks and air power. Egypt, which destroyed the Muslim Brotherhood within its borders, is by no means eager to welcome the radical elements of Hamas along with the Palestinians.
«The United States will take control of the Gaza Strip, and we will work with them», Trump declared. «We will take responsibility for demining and more. We will level everything — every destroyed home. We will create an economy that can provide an endless number of jobs and homes for people, but only if they do not return. There can be no return. Otherwise, everything will repeat itself».
Trump did not clarify what he meant by «take control». Was he suggesting that American troops would be deployed there? It is not hard to imagine that a new Afghanistan could emerge in this area — after all, the deployment of Western troops in Muslim lands has not historically led to a softening of local customs or Europeanization, but rather to further Islamic radicalization.
Under any scenario, such a transfer would spell the end of the idea of «two states for two peoples» — an idea the Muslim world would never accept. They understand perfectly: without Gaza, there is no problem in creating a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem. In the past, only Israel’s extreme right-wing parties could afford to propose the expulsion and resettlement of Palestinians — and the entire «progressive and liberal» world harshly condemned them for doing so. And now such radical ideas are being expressed by the leader of a superpower! Of course, he can be accused of violating humanitarian traditions and UN resolutions, but Trump does not hide that he is not overly concerned; he is simply overturning long-established traditions and norms.
How was Trump’s proposal received in Israel itself? All Israeli parties said it was a breakthrough and that the idea was good — but they questioned how it could actually be implemented. Only the head of the left-wing party «The Democrats», Yair Golan, dismissed the president’s proposals as «nonsense»: «What kind of nonsense is this? We will not be able to get out of this quagmire with tricks. Who can seriously believe that the Palestinians will emigrate?»
Amid the general euphoria, his words were met with sober skepticism. On what basis did Trump assume that the Palestinians would agree to emigrate? History, of course, records instances where entire peoples have been relocated — but we are not referring to ancient examples such as the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt or the relocation of Jews during the Roman Empire.
More recently, there was the relocation of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. But first, Armenia was willing to accept them; and second, the populations of Nagorno-Karabakh and Gaza are incomparable — estimates put the number of Armenians at between 50,000 and 100,000, not 1.8–2 million.
Meanwhile, as Israel debates its own solution to the Gaza problem, proposals have emerged to encourage the voluntary emigration of Palestinians from Gaza, with the promise of a cash incentive in exchange for their and their children’s promise never to return. According to Israel’s Channel 11, Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the IDF to develop a plan to allow Gaza residents who wish to leave the enclave to do so without hindrance. Katz stated that «the plan will include options for exit through border crossings, as well as special routes by sea and air».
The Israeli foreign minister went on to say that «countries like Spain, Ireland, Norway and others — which have made false accusations regarding Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza — must now accept refugees from Gaza, and if they refuse, their hypocrisy will be exposed». Immediately afterward, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares rejected the proposal to accept refugees from Gaza. «The land of the people of Gaza is Gaza», he said in an interview with Spanish radio station RNE.
It is only natural that the Palestinian side has met any idea of relocation with fierce resistance. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas stated, «Peace and stability in the region will not be achieved without the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem, based on a two-state solution». Naturally, Hamas responded in kind. Egypt, France, Germany, China and Turkey have already spoken out against the move. Many countries have even described Trump’s plan as ethnic cleansing.
Some time has passed since Trump’s bombastic statements, and now there is a clarification that moderates his initial statements somewhat. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that President Donald Trump has not committed to sending American troops to Gaza, and she also refuted reports that the United States would fund a Gaza reconstruction project. She noted that the Trump administration would «work with partners in the region» in this area — in other words, it is clear that wealthy Arab countries will have to foot the bill. At the same time, she did not answer journalists’ questions about whether Palestinians who do not want to leave their homes will be allowed to remain in Gaza.
However, there is at least one positive aspect to Trump’s plan: his statements have shaken up the increasingly deadlocked situation around Gaza. According to Israel’s Channel 11, an alternative proposal to Trump’s plan is taking shape in Mahmoud Abbas’ entourage. The architects of this «Palestinian plan» propose to settle the residents of the Strip in Judea and Samaria. The main condition for its implementation is the construction of a new city in the West Bank. But I seriously doubt that Israel will agree to this, since it would essentially end up with a second Gaza — only this time in the West Bank!
Then came more exotic leaks — for example, that the White House was considering relocating Gaza residents to the regions of Somaliland, Puntland, and Morocco. Not everyone knows what Somaliland and Puntland are or where they are located. It turns out that Somaliland is a self-proclaimed state in northern Somalia, while Puntland is an autonomous region in northeastern Somalia. By the way, history loves paradoxical jokes. One can’t help but recall that even before the establishment of the state of Israel, the idea of creating a Jewish state in Kenya or Madagascar was discussed in Palestine.
As the saying goes, time will tell what will actually be done to solve the Gaza problem. The main thing is that Trump’s advisor, Musk, who is obsessed with the idea of colonizing Mars, does not get involved in the plan to resettle the Palestinians.