President Donald Trump91裸聊视频檚 stunning to forcibly transfer hundreds of thousands of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip and develop it as a tourist destination faces major obstacles.
The Palestinians and many others view such plans as ethnic cleansing, an attempt to drive them from their homeland after Israel91裸聊视频檚 15-month offensive against Hamas . It was also seen as an attempt to liquidate their decades-long struggle for a state, which has wide international support.
Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan 91裸聊视频� close U.S. allies at peace with Israel 91裸聊视频� and Trump91裸聊视频檚 suggestion that they take in more Palestinian refugees.
Saudi Arabia issued a rare overnight statement rejecting the idea of transfer and reiterating that it won91裸聊视频檛 normalize relations with Israel 91裸聊视频� a key goal of the Trump administration 91裸聊视频� without the establishment of a Palestinian state including Gaza.
The proposal also risks undermining and the continued taken in Hamas91裸聊视频� Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. Trump has claimed credit for brokering the truce, but its future is now more uncertain.
The Palestinians don91裸聊视频檛 want to leave
Palestinians view Gaza as an integral part of their national homeland and aspire to an independent state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.
Most of Gaza91裸聊视频檚 population are descendants of surrounding Israel91裸聊视频檚 creation, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven out of what is now Israel. They were not allowed to return because they would have outnumbered the new state91裸聊视频檚 Jewish population.
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, suggested that if Trump91裸聊视频檚 goal is to send the Palestinians to a 91裸聊视频渉appy, nice place,91裸聊视频� they should return to their ancestral homes in Israel.
The ideal of remaining on one91裸聊视频檚 land despite threats of expulsion is at the heart of the Palestinians91裸聊视频� struggle and self-identity, and was on vivid display last week when despite its near-total destruction.
Both Hamas and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which recognizes Israel and cooperates with it on security, have vehemently condemned Trump91裸聊视频檚 proposal.
Arab countries will not accept Palestinian refugees
Egypt and Jordan, which made peace with Israel decades ago, have repeatedly rejected previous proposals to resettle Palestinians within their borders.
They too fear that Israel would never allow the Palestinians to return, and that a mass influx of Palestinian refugees would once again destabilize the region, as it did in the decades after 1948, when it was a key factor in Lebanon91裸聊视频檚 civil war and Israel91裸聊视频檚 two invasions of that country. Both countries also have struggling economies that would have a hard time absorbing large numbers of refugees.
Trump suggested that wealthy Gulf countries could pay to resettle the Palestinians, but that appears unlikely.
have joined Egypt and Jordan in rejecting any transfer plans, and the Saudis repudiated the plan almost immediately.
The Saudi statement reiterated remarks made in September by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who said Saudi Arabia would not normalize relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
The kingdom said its 91裸聊视频渦nwavering position is non-negotiable and not subject to compromises.91裸聊视频�
Trump has leverage, but so do Mideast leaders
Trump seems to relish using tariffs, sanctions and aid cutoffs to pressure allies and adversaries alike, and could apply economic pressure on countries like Egypt and Jordan, which have long relied on American aid.
But those countries have levers of their own in the face of what they see as a major threat to their national security. And wealthy Gulf countries, which have also historically provided aid to Egypt and Jordan, could help cushion any economic blow.
Egypt has already warned that any mass transfer of Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula bordering Gaza 91裸聊视频� a cornerstone of regional stability and American influence for nearly a half-century.
Egypt and Qatar have also served as key mediators with Hamas in the talks that led to the ceasefire, and both are working with Trump91裸聊视频檚 Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, to try to extend it.
Israelis welcome the plan, but hostages are a priority
The idea of mass transfer has historically been confined to the far-right in Israel, but on Wednesday, mainstream leaders said Trump91裸聊视频檚 plan was worth considering.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the press conference with Trump, acknowledged that 91裸聊视频渏aws drop91裸聊视频� when the U.S. president proposes unorthodox ideas, but then 91裸聊视频減eople scratch their heads and they say, 91裸聊视频榊ou know, he91裸聊视频檚 right.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�
Benny Gantz, long seen as a more moderate alternative to Netanyahu, said Trump91裸聊视频檚 proposal showed 91裸聊视频渃reative, original and intriguing thinking,91裸聊视频� and should be studied alongside other war goals, 91裸聊视频減rioritizing the return of all the hostages.91裸聊视频�
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, a fierce critic of Netanyahu who has voiced support for a two-state solution in the past, did not object to the idea. Instead, he said in an interview with local media that it was too early to react to Trump91裸聊视频檚 proposal since there are no concrete details, and that returning the hostages was most important.
, in which Hamas is to release 33 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, ends in early March. The second phase, in which the remaining 60 or so hostages would be freed in exchange for more prisoners, is being negotiated.
Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal 91裸聊视频� which would likely preclude any forcible transfer.
Israel91裸聊视频檚 far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who supports what he refers to as the 91裸聊视频渧oluntary emigration91裸聊视频� of large numbers of Palestinians and the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, has threatened to leave Netanyahu91裸聊视频檚 coalition if he doesn91裸聊视频檛 resume the war after the first phase, which would likely lead to early elections. He welcomed Trump91裸聊视频檚 proposal.
The resumption of the war would put the remaining hostages91裸聊视频� lives at risk, and there91裸聊视频檚 no guarantee it would eliminate Hamas, . It would also undo what Trump has portrayed as a major accomplishment and further delay any normalization with Saudi Arabia.
An opening gambit?
There91裸聊视频檚 another possibility: That Trump91裸聊视频檚 proposal is an opening gambit in a bargaining process aimed at eventually securing the kind of Middle East mega-deal he says he is seeking.
It was only last week that Trump was threatening major tariffs against Canada and Mexico, America91裸聊视频檚 two biggest trading partners, after their leaders took steps to appease his concerns about border security and drug trafficking.
During his first term, Trump flirted with the possibility of before the idea was shelved as part of a normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates.
Trump could ultimately pare down his proposal or put it on hold in exchange for concessions from Arab leaders, perhaps on Gaza91裸聊视频檚 reconstruction or on normalization with Israel 91裸聊视频� though the Saudi statement appeared to rule that out.
There could be more clarity when the shock wears off, and when Trump meets with Jordan91裸聊视频檚 King Abdullah II at the White House next week.
