Donald Trump said the USA might take over Gaza once Palestinians leave. No one in the Middle East can accept such a proposal because it would increase instability in the region.
The “Middle Eastern Riviera”, without the Palestinians
Trump launched his proposal in his typically fiery style, promising the United States would demine Gaza, develop it and turn it “into something the entire Middle East will be proud of,” a “Middle Eastern Riviera” managed long-term by Americans and inhabited by “people from all over the world.” It’s the kind of language that sounds more like a real estate development proposal, which is exactly how Trump made his fortune. In fact, Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who last year also proposed to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, said that the area could be seen as a very valuable piece of waterfront property.
Before Gaza is developed, however, the over 2 million Palestinians inhabiting the region should be relocated, Donald Trump argues. The U.S. president has already picked a destination for their relocation: Arab states, especially Egypt and Jordan.
Such a scenario has zero chances of rallying any international support. In the unlikely event the plan is imposed by force, instead of stabilizing the Middle East in the long run, as Trump has promised, it will generate even more instability and make peace in the Middle East impossible for many years (perhaps even decades) to come. In fact, Trump's proposal was immediately met with criticism. Among those who reacted negatively were representatives of the Muslim community in the United States, international NGOs such as Amnesty International, Hamas and Saudi Arabia. Even Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who was by Trump’s side when he made the announcement, avoided commenting on the proposal, saying only that the American president’s approach is unconventional, “outside the box”.
The resettlement of the Palestinian population in Gaza, an act of ethnic cleansing that no Arab government can support
The idea of relocating Palestinians from Gaza is not new. The proposal was circulated also after the terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, by representatives of the Israeli far-right. Trump also mentioned it a few days ago, before meeting Benjamin Netanyahu. Every time the relocation of Palestinians has been raised for discussion, the idea has been condemned as an ethnic cleansing plan.
This is primarily why no Arab government can get behind such a scenario. Admittedly, the Arab world has for years been showing signs of fatigue with the so-called “Palestinian cause”. Moreover, a growing number of Arab governments have expressed willingness to normalize relations with Israel, admittedly before the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis it triggered. However, Arab nations continue to regard Israel with suspicion, and many still consider it the enemy. Therefore, accepting the resettlement of Palestinians (or even taking them in) would be seen as complicity at best and betrayal at worst.
I doubt Arab leaders have forgotten that Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat was assassinated by Muslim extremists for making peace with Israel, or that jihadists have campaigned for years against Arab governments they accused of apostasy, simply because they had relations with the West and the United States. Resettling over two million Palestinians would be seen as a much more serious action. In this respect, it is relevant to mention the position of Saudi Arabia, which, before the Gaza war, showed readiness to recognize Israel even before the formation of a Palestinian state, provided it received guarantees that the two-state solution would be implemented. After the war started, Saudi Arabia revised its position and has now categorically rejected Trump's proposal.
The displacement of Palestinians from Gaza would exponentially amplify the Palestinian refugee crisis and the problems it generates
Nor have the Arabs have forgotten about the Palestinian refugees of 1948 and 1967. Their problem continues to remain unresolved. The Palestinians insist on being allowed to return home, a claim rejected by Israel, which claims that, in fact, a population exchange took place, since various Arab countries expelled Jewish communities after 1948, which then arrived in Israel instead of the Palestinian refugees.
On the other hand, whether located in the West Bank and Gaza or on the territory of Arab states, refugee camps have always been a hotbed for recruiting militants and terrorist combatants, whether secular or, in recent decades, jihadist. The war in Gaza has shown that refugee camps are used as bastions by Hamas and other terrorist cells.
Last but not least, the Arabs have not forgotten that refugee-related tension has even led to wars in Jordan and Lebanon. Since the Palestinians are adamant about staying in Gaza, their relocation could only be achieved by force, so that the number of refugee-related problems would increase exponentially.
Trump's vision is reminiscent of Israeli extremism
Resettling Palestinians in Gaza is not the only thing Donald Trump and Israeli extremists have in common. The latter have also found support for their dream of annexing the West Bank, which would put an end to the two-state project, a scenario supported by most of the international community, and would undoubtedly lead to a surge of violence in the Palestinian territories and, probably, attacks beyond.
For the time being, the White House has not officially pledged its support for the annexation, nor would it be able to do so given that there is no annexation plan proposed by the Israeli government. However, Washington has sent a number of signals in recent weeks that have disconcerted those who fear that the annexation of the West Bank is coming. On the very day he took office for his second term as president, Donald Trump annulled the sanctions imposed by the Biden administration on Jewish settlers in the West Bank for violence committed against Palestinians. Mike Huckabee, whom Donald Trump chose to appoint as U.S. ambassador to Israel, stated that he does not rule out the possibility that, during Trump's term in office, Israel will annex the West Bank. Recently, several Republicans in the Senate and the House of Representatives submitted a bill that stipulates that, from now on, all official documents shall use the terms Judea and Samaria (biblical names also used by Israel) instead of the West Bank.
The U.S. policy shift could plunge the Middle East into chaos
Donald Trump might have made the proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza only to start negotiations on phases two and three of the Gaza ceasefire agreement from a position of strength.
However, if Donald Trump changes U.S. policy towards the Middle East and supports or even tries to impose the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the annexation of the West Bank, this will only increase tensions and instability in the region. We will witness not only an intensification of Palestinian protests, but also an increase in the popularity of extremist groups, both Palestinian and “international”, such as the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, who will surely seize the opportunity to expand their base of followers by taking advantage of one of the most important “causes” in the Muslim world. Moreover, extremists’ rise in popularity is usually accompanied by a resurgence of terrorism, both regional and global.
Material publicat în cadrul proiectului „Investigarea impactului dezinformării care vizează războiul Israel-Hamas în regiunea Mării Negre”, finanțat de Fondul European pentru Media și Informație (EMIF).
Unica responsabilitate pentru orice conținut susținut de Fondul European pentru Media și Informație (EMIF) revine autorului și nu reflectă în mod necesar pozițiile EMIF și ale partenerilor Fondului, Fundația Calouste Gulbenkian și Institutul Universitar European.
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