President Donald Trump’s stunning proposal faces major obstacles to forcibly move thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and develop it as a tourist destination.
Palestinians and many others look at such schemes such as ethnic cleaning, attempting to drive them from their motherland after Israeli’s 15 months aggressive against Hamas. It was also seen as an attempt to reduce their decades and decades for a state, which has broad international support.
The Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan, closely discontinued American allies with Israel – have condemned such schemes and dismissed Trump’s suggestion that they take more in Palestinian refugees.
Saudi Arabia released a rare overnight statement, rejecting the transfer idea and reiterated that it would not normalize relations with Israel – a major goal of Trump administration – without the establishment of a Palestinian state, including Gaza.
The proposal risk reducing the ceasefire in Gaza and the continuous release of the hostage of Hamas in October 7, 2023, which triggers the war. Trump has claimed credit for the broker to broker, but its future is now more uncertain.
Do not leave Palestinians
Palestinians saw Gaza as an integral part of their national motherland and aspires for an independent state in Gaza, West Bank and Eastern Jerusalem, captured Israel in the Middle East War of 1967.
Most of Gaza’s population is descendants of refugees from the war around the construction of the 1948 war Israel, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had fled or now exiting Israel. They were not allowed to return as they defeated the Jewish population of the new state.
Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations, Riyadh Mansoor suggested that if Trump’s goal is to send Palestinians to “happy, good places”, they should return to their ancestral homes in Israel.
Despite the threats of expulsion, the ideal of remaining on someone’s land is at the center of the struggle and self-identity of the Palestinians, and last week was on a vivid performance when hundreds of thousands of people returned to Northern Gaza despite their close destruction.
Hamas and the Western -backed Palestinian Authority, which recognizes Israel and cooperates with it, condemned Trump’s proposal.
Arab countries will not accept Palestinian refugees
Egypt and Jordan, who created peace with Israel decades ago, had repeatedly rejected the previous proposals to resume the Palestinians within their boundaries.
They also fears that Israel will never allow Palestinians to return, and that a large -scale arrival of Palestinian refugees will once again destabilize the region, as was done in the decades since 1948, When it was a Lebanese Civil War and two of Israel’s two important factor, the attack of that country. Both countries also have struggling economies which will have difficult times in absorbing a large number of refugees.
Trump suggested that the rich Gulf can pay the country Palestinians to resume, but this is not possible.
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar have joined Egypt and Jordan in rejecting any transfer schemes, and Saudi has almost removed the plan.
Saudi’s statement reiterated the remarks made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in September, stating that Saudi Arabia would not normalize relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian kingdom with Eastern Jerusalem.
The state said that its “unbreakable situation is non-perfect and is not subject to compromise.”
Trump takes advantage of, but therefore the Middle East leaders do
Trump has recalled allies and opponents using tariffs, restrictions and assistance cutoffs for equally pressure, and can apply economic pressure to countries such as Egypt and Jordan, which have long rely on American aid.
But those countries have their own liver that they see as a major threat to their national security. And the rich Gulf country, which historically has assisted Egypt and Jordan, can help in cushing any economic shock.
Egypt has already warned that any mass transfer of Palestinians in the Gaza border Sinai Peninsula can reduce its peace treaty with Israel-a foundation stone of regional stability and American influence for almost half a century.
Egypt and Qatar have also worked with Hamas as the major intermediaries, which occurred due to the ceasefire, and the two are trying to expand it with the Middle East messenger, Steve Witcoff, the East of Trump.
Israel welcomes the scheme, but the hostages have a priority
The idea of massive transfer has historically been limited to far-flung in Israel, but on Wednesday, mainstream leaders said that Trump’s plan is worth considering.
At a press conference with Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that when the US President proposes unconventional views, “jaw fall”, but then “people scratch their heads and they say, ‘You know,’ you know, He is right. ”
Beni Gantz, a centralist politician and former General Long, was seen as a more liberal alternative to Netanyahu, said that Trump’s proposal has shown “creative, original and complicated thinking”, and to be studied with other war goals Should, “Giving priority to the return of all hostages.”
Opposition leader Yare Lapid, a fierce critic of Netanyahu, who has supported the two-state solution in the past, did not object to the idea. Instead, he said in an interview with local media that it was very early to react to Trump’s proposal because there are no concrete details, and it was most important to return the hostages.
The current stage of the Gaza ceasefire, in which Hamas has to release 33 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, ends in early March. The second phase, in which the remaining 60 will be freed in exchange for more prisoners, interactions are being held.
Hamas has said that it would not release the remaining hostages without the end of the war and a complete Israeli return – which will probably stop any forced transfer.
Israeli’s remote finance minister Bezelle Smotrich, who supports that he refers to a large number of “voluntary emotional” of Palestinians and the re -establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, threatened to leave the Netanyahu alliance if he If he does not start again, he does not start again. War after the first phase, which will probably be initial elections. He welcomed Trump’s proposal.
Starting the war will lead to the risk of the remaining hostages, and there is no guarantee that it will eliminate Hamas, which still controls most of the Gaza. It will also be undone what Trump has portrayed as a major achievement and delayed any generalization with Saudi Arabia.
An opening gambit?
Another possibility is: Trump’s proposal is an opening gambling in a bargaining process that is eventually achieving the type of Mega-Deal, which he says that he wants.
It was only last week that Trump Canada and Mexico were threatening major tariffs against the two biggest trading partners of the US, their leaders took steps to meet their concerns about border security and drug smuggling After holding them.
During his first term, Trump tampered with the possibility of anxing parts of Israel -occupied West Bank before sheltering the idea as part of a generalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates.
Trump may eventually reduce his proposal or catch it in exchange for concessions from Arab leaders, perhaps on the reconstruction of Gaza or on generalization with Israel – although the Saudi statement appeared to rule it.
There may be more clarity when wears a jerk, and when Trump meets Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House next week.