On Saturday, January 25, little than a week after the Gaza ceasefire agreement entered into force, Donald Trump described the Palestinian enclave as a “dismantling plac” and stated that it would be better if “just clear the full thing up.” "I would like Egypt to accept these people," he added. "It's most likely a million and a half, so we just clean it all up and say, you know what? It's over." Many have read this as a proposition to destruct the Gaza Strip as a Palestinian enclave and put the site under Israeli management.
Trump thanked Jordan for accepting Palestinian refugees in the past, and Jordanian king, as he claims, said: “I would very much like you to accept more due to the fact that I am looking at the full Gaza Strip and seeing a mess. A truly large mess."
It did not specify the nature of relocation, stating that the solution "could be temporary" and "may be long-term". On Monday, January 27, he returned to the subject: "I would like to decision them to a place where they could live without hindrance, revolution and violence, in specified quantities as before." He was besides divorcing the value of the land in Gaza and its tourist and economical potential, which should be used. "It could be made of a beautiful thing" – he perorated – enjoying the "fenomenal location by the sea, with the best weather". He mostly repeated what his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, known for his hotel investments in the Mediterranean, who in 2024 spoke of areas where mass war crimes were committed as an perfect area for profitable hotel investments.
Palestinians to Egypt or possibly space?
Trump's declaration is consistent with the communicative of the utmost Israeli right. The mass deportation of Gazans in a more or little brutal form was suggested, among others, by erstwhile national safety minister Ben Gvir and current finance minister Benzael Smotrich. The description of properties in Gaza is simply a recurring subject of settlement propaganda. The planet was outraged erstwhile Israeli developers and the right presented projects to build luxury settlements in the ruins of Gaza. Today, the president of the United States proposes the same.
According to Bezael Smotrich, leader of the Zionist spiritual Party, Trump recognized in Gaza the “field to multiply terrorists”. "There is no uncertainty that in the long word migration is the only solution that will bring peace and safety to Israel and end the suffering of the Arabs in Gaza," he argued. He emphasized that Trump always gets what he wants. Another right-wing associate of Kneset, Amir Weitmann, wrote that the war creates a “unique chance to evacuate the full Gaza Strip”, calling for “the removal of the full arabian population for good”. Weitmann stressed that this would make Gaza a part of Israel.
The left-wing Israeli magazine ‘Haaretz’ laughed at Trump's proposal as being detached from reality, stating that as it continues, it will shortly propose that the people of Gaza be "voluntarily" shot into space and settled on Mars, in the spirit of their promise from the inaugural speech, "We will realize our apparent destiny among the stars, sending American astronauts to stick stars and belts into the planet Mars." "Haaretz" journalists have described a number of reasons why arabian states are willing to support Palestine financially but reluctant to accept refugees – they are to fear, above all, the blurring of national identity and political unrest.
Egypt's representatives have identified Trump's proposal as a red line on which they cannot agree, while stressing their willingness to further support the Palestinians. The removal of Gaza and the relocation of more than 1 million people to Egypt would jeopardise its interior security. A akin position was expressed by Ayman Safadi, Jordanian abroad Minister: “Our dissension for deportation is firm and unchanging”.
A fragile peace and a silent threat
Trump's proposal was condemned by the League of arabian States, and Palestinians in Gaza – both by the mouth of their representatives and in hundreds of materials appearing in social media – keep that they would alternatively die on their land than leave. Contrary to what Donald Trump is counting on, there is no promise that the Gazans, Jordan or Egypt will change their position in exchange for any insignificant trade privileges, money or another political scraps.
The suggestions for "peaceful emigration" are supported by a silent threat. Trump resumed the transportation of powerful bombs to Israel (each weighing about a ton). Biden's administration imposed a temporary ban on the transport of specified weapons in order to reduce the number of fatalities during the bombings in Gaza.
Trump explains that “Israel has bought this weapon”, which “has been lying in store for a long time.” Mike Waltz, his national safety advisor, said just before the inauguration that "if the Israeli army has to enter the Gaza Strip again, it can number on US support." The fresh Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, confirmed that the United States would "ensure Israel's ability to defend itself," repeating the slogan which for over a year was justified by the massacre in Gaza. Many commentators are afraid that Israel can usage the death of 8 out of the 33 Israeli hostages Hamas was about to release in the next phase of the ceasefire agreement as a pretext for re-escalation. Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed that he will not tolerate even the slightest failure to comply with the terms of the agreement.
Donald Trump, after the first applause he received as a mediator and peacemaker, puts himself in the function of a false messiah. It is becoming increasingly apparent – especially for Palestinians – that he did not end the conflict and froze it. At the same time, he armed the accused organization for committing genocide and pushed the favored solution, threatening to resume war on an unprecedented scale unless it was accepted.
Let us add that despite attempts to sale Trump's thought to any media as "peaceful" and "civilised", its implementation would constitute a clear violation of global law. Forced displacement of the population from the areas occupied by the occupier is simply a crime under Article 51. 4th Geneva Convention, 8th article of the Rome Statute and a number of another regulations.
Today, nearly 6 million registered Palestinian refugees live in dozens of camps in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The increase of this figure by another 2 million is simply a provision for humanitarian disaster and increased unrest in the region.
