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Trump doubles down on plan to 'clean out' Gaza & relocate over 1 million Palestinians to Jordan & Egypt

Trump was ambiguous about whether the relocation would be temporary or long-term.

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January 29, 2025, 12:35 PM

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Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are returning to their homes in northern Gaza, following a ceasefire deal struck on Jan. 15, 2025 between Hamas and Israel.

Meanwhile, on Jan. 27, United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump doubled down on his proposal to relocate over a million Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt, The Wall Street Journal reported.

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Such a relocation would be a break with decades of U.S. foreign policy emphasising a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

'Cleaning out' Gaza

Trump said that he wants to displace Gaza residents to "an area where they can live without disruption and revolution and violence."

The relocation, in his view, would facilitate the reconstruction of Gaza while Palestinian refugees are being housed in Jordan and Egypt.

Trump was elaborating on comments he made earlier on Jan. 25, when he indicated to reporters aboard Air Force One that he had spoken to the King of Jordan to urge him to take in more Palestinian refugees.

“You’re talking about a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing," Trump then told reporters.

According to UNRWA, there are already around 2.39 million registered Palestinian refugees in Jordan.

'Very valuable' waterfront property

Trump's comments echoed those made by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, back in 2024, during a discussion on the Middle East at Harvard University.

Jared Kushner then described the waterfront property in Gaza as "very valuable" and ripe for development.

Kushner thus argued that Israel should remove civilians from the area while it "cleans up" the strip.

Could be temporary, could be permanent

On Jan. 25, Trump said that the relocation would allow Gaza to be rebuilt, which he said was "literally a demolition site right now":

“Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there, so I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing in a different location where I think they could maybe live in peace for a change.”

Trump was asked by reporters if such a relocation would be a temporary or long-term solution for Gaza.

Trump replied: "Could be either".

However, the relocation plan has not gone down well with Jordan and Egypt. Hamas officials also rejected Trump's proposal.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told reporters that the country takes a "firm and unwavering" stance against any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, in its statement, reiterated its support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters: "The people of Gaza have endured death and refused to leave their homeland and they will not leave it regardless of any other reasons."

Trump's Arab American supporters up in arms

Trump is also getting flak for the plan back in the U.S.

The chairman of the "Arab Americans for Trump" political group, Bishara Bahbah, slammed the President's relocation plans, Sky News reported.

Bahbah, who is Palestinian by birth, helped campaign for Trump's re-election in 2024 by persuading Arab Americans to vote for him.

Bahbah told Sky News that Trump had made a personal commitment to a two-state solution for Palestine, and that Trump has a "contract" with the Arab Americans who voted for him:

"Mr President, we have a contract...We held up our end of the contract and voted for you. We are with you to ensure that your administration fulfils your part of the contract."

Israel's far-right is on board

The relocation plan was enthusiastically supported by far-right figures in Israel, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. 

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Smotrich is reportedly working on an "operational plan" to implement the relocation policy and make it actionable, the Times of Israel wrote.

Smotrich told reporters on Jan. 27:

"After years of statesmen trying to impose their imaginations on reality, the U.S. president is finally acknowledging reality: Gaza is a hotbed of terrorism that creates suffering for both the residents of the State of Israel and the residents of Gaza themselves."

Top photo from Ashraf Amra/UNRWA

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