Sunday | January 26, 2025
President Donald Trump revealed on Saturday that he had discussed with King Abdullah II of Jordan the possibility of relocating over one million Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries, including Jordan, as part of a proposal to address the ongoing crisis. The suggestion, an unprecedented one from a U.S. president, came during a phone call with the Jordanian monarch.
“I told him I’d love for Jordan to take on more, because the situation in Gaza is a mess, a real mess,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. However, Jordan’s state news agency, Petra, which confirmed the call, did not mention any discussion of Palestinian relocation. Jordan currently hosts over 2.39 million registered Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations.
Trump indicated that he also intended to discuss the matter with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, proposing that both Jordan and Egypt, which borders Gaza, could provide housing for displaced Palestinians. “You’re talking about a million and a half people, and we could just clear out the whole area,” Trump said, referring to Gaza. He acknowledged the region’s long history of conflict, adding, “Something has to change. It’s a demolition site right now—almost everything is destroyed, and people are dying. My hope is to work with Arab nations to create housing in a new location where people might finally live in peace.”
As a former real estate developer, Trump suggested the proposed housing could be temporary or long-term.
Israeli network Channel 12 News, citing Israeli officials, reported that Trump’s comments were part of a broader, coordinated effort involving Israel. A source familiar with the matter confirmed this to CNN but did not provide additional details. CNN has reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment.
Comments mark break with US policy
The 15-month war between Israel and Hamas has caused catastrophic destruction, killing tens of thousands and leaving much of Gaza in ruins. According to the United Nations, Israeli airstrikes have damaged or destroyed about 60% of Gaza’s buildings, including schools and hospitals, and approximately 92% of homes. Nearly 90% of the population has been displaced, with many forced to move multiple times, some more than ten.
Former President Donald Trump’s recent statements suggest a significant departure from decades of U.S. policy, which has historically supported a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. Concerns persist in the region that Israel aims to displace Palestinians from Gaza into neighboring countries—a claim Israel denies but one endorsed by far-right elements of its government.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi strongly criticized Israel’s October 2023 evacuation of over a million northern Gaza residents, describing it as part of a broader plan to depopulate the area of Palestinians. El-Sisi warned that displacing Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt could set a precedent for expelling Palestinians from the West Bank to Jordan, effectively rendering the concept of a Palestinian state meaningless. “The land will remain, but the people won’t,” he stated.
King Abdullah II of Jordan also rejected the idea of additional Palestinian refugees moving to Jordan or Egypt, calling it a “red line.”
Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, rejected any proposals from former President Donald Trump involving Palestinians leaving their homeland, calling such plans unacceptable “even if they are seemingly well-intentioned under the guise of reconstruction.” Similarly, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, an independent Palestinian politician, strongly opposed Trump’s comments. “What the occupation has failed to achieve through its criminal bombardment and genocide in Gaza will not be implemented through political pressures,” Barghouti said, adding, “The conspiracy of ethnic cleansing will not succeed in Gaza or the West Bank.”
Globally, there are around 5.9 million Palestinian refugees, primarily descendants of those displaced during the creation of Israel in 1948. Upon assuming office this week, Trump reversed Biden-era sanctions on Israeli settlers implicated in deadly violence in the West Bank, a move welcomed by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Smotrich, a proponent of re-establishing Jewish settlements in Gaza vacated in 2005, endorsed Trump’s relocation suggestion, stating that “helping Gazans find other places to start new, better lives is a great idea.”
Earlier this week, Trump hinted at a potential role in rebuilding Gaza, describing it as having “a phenomenal location, on the sea” and “the best weather.” His remarks echoed those of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who in February 2024 referred to Gaza’s waterfront property as “very valuable” and suggested that Palestinians be relocated and the area “cleaned up.”
Trump also announced the lifting of a Biden-era hold on the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. “We released them today, and they’ll have them. They paid for them and have been waiting for them for a long time,” he told reporters.