Govind Tekale
President Trump has told Jordan’s King Abdullah he wants Egypt and Jordan to accept Palestinian refugees from Gaza, describing the proposal as “clean out that whole thing.” WSJ The plan, floated aboard Air Force One, has been rejected by both Arab nations and condemned by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. It marks the most dramatic US policy shift on Gaza since the war began.
Trump made the remarks on Air Force One on Saturday, telling reporters he expects to ask Egypt’s President el-Sisi in a coming phone call. “You’re talking about a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing,” the president said. WSJ He described the move as potentially temporary or long-term. The proposal comes as displaced Palestinians begin returning to northern Gaza after a ceasefire, only to find infrastructure destroyed. 600,000 Palestinians Return to Northern Gaza After Ceasefire
More than 47,200 Palestinians have been killed since the war started, according to Gaza’s health ministry. About 60% of Gaza’s structures have been damaged or destroyed, the UN estimates. BBC Trump also announced he has ended the hold on 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, saying “they paid for them and they’ve been waiting for a long time.” BBC
The Israeli far-right backs the transfer idea. Former national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote on X that he “commends Trump for the initiative to transfer residents from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt.” BBC Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has also said Palestinians should emigrate to neighboring countries. BBC
In Gaza, Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim told the BBC: “Our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip endured death and destruction for 15 months… without leaving their land. Therefore, they will not accept any offers or solutions.” BBC In the West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas “expressed strong rejection and condemnation of any projects aimed at displacing our people from the Gaza Strip.” BBC
Asked about Trump’s comments, Abu Yahya Rashid, a man displaced in Khan Younis, said: “We are the ones who decide our fate and what we want. This land is ours and the property of our ancestors throughout history. We will not leave it except as corpses.” BBC
Jordan’s foreign minister said the kingdom said it was “firm and unwavering” in its rejection of displacing Palestinians. BBC Egypt’s foreign ministry rejected any such effort “whether through settlement or annexation of land, or by evicting Palestinians from their land through displacement or encouraging the relocation or uprooting of Palestinians from their land, whether temporarily or long-term.” BBC
Trump’s comments came as displaced people were delayed from returning to their homes in northern Gaza after Israel accused Hamas of breaching the terms of a ceasefire deal. BBC
The proposal represents a sharp reversal from the Biden administration’s position. Decades of US foreign policy has committed to the creation of a Palestinian state, with Gaza as a key part. BBC
Trump’s Gaza plan could also complicate efforts to broker diplomatic normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which says it won’t forge ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state. AP
The Trump administration has not provided details of how the relocation would work, where detainees would be held, or what timeline would apply. No formal request has been made to Egypt, and the White House official read-out of the Jordan call did not mention the proposal. WSJ
If Egypt and Jordan refuse — as both have — the US faces a humanitarian crisis it cannot solve by decree. 2 million Gazans are displaced, 60% of infrastructure destroyed. Trump’s proposal shifts burden to neighbors who lack capacity, risking a worsening catastrophe that could destabilize the entire region.
Egypt says it is currently hosting some 9 million migrants, including refugees from Sudan’s civil war. Jordan, with a population of less than 12 million, is hosting over 700,000 refugees, mainly from Syria. AP
The diplomatic fallout from Trump’s proposal will unfold over coming weeks. Check back for updates on the administration’s next steps and any formal response from Egypt or Jordan.
