‘Demolition site’: Trump floats plan to relocate Gaza refugees in Egypt, Jordan
JERUSALEM – Was it one of those moments for which U.S. President Trump is famous, thinking out-loud in front of reporters and seeing what kind of reaction he will get or was his idea of repatriating Gazan refugees in Egypt or Jordan a nod toward a change of policy?
Trump’s statement about how he would like to “clean out” Gaza has set the region afire with people wondering whether the president was indeed serious, and if he was, how he would even be able to bring such a thing about.
During a 20-minute question-and-answer session with reporters on Air Force One, Trump described the Gaza Strip as a “demolition site,” following the Hamas-Israel war, which is still paused according to the terms of a delicate ceasefire but could potentially reignite at short notice. He said he had spoken to Jordan’s King Abdullah II regarding the issue, and was set to speak to Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi about it Sunday.
Trump apparently told the king he’d like him to take more people, i.e. Palestinians. When reporters asked the president if he anticipated this being a temporary or long-term suggestion, he replied with a pithy, “Could be either.”
“You’re talking about probably a million and half people, and we just clean out that whole thing. You know, over the centuries it’s had many, many conflicts, that site. And I don’t know, something has to happen,” Trump said.
Trump Pushes Plan to ‘Clean Out’ Gaza, Urges Jordan and Egypt to Take Palestinians – AP pic.twitter.com/a5WouhWZ9x
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 26, 2025
In a similar vein, Trump told reporters he’d like Egypt to take people too, which is sure to set pulses racing as fast in Cairo as they might in Amman. He also said he’d like to see other Arab nations get involved “and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”
The overall Palestinian refugee issue has been one of the central pillars of the centuries old warfare between Arabs and Jews. Since 1948, when Israel declared its independence and won a war against five Arab armies, Arabs who lived in Mandate Palestine and as vassals in the Ottoman Empire before it, have claimed refugee status in perpetuity, so that it survives from one generation to the next, which is not a standard applied to any other people on the planet.
It isn’t clear if Trump’s words should exactly be termed a proposal, but his pronouncement touches one of the Middle East’s third rails. The truth of the matter is neither the Egyptians nor the Jordanians want any great number of Palestinians.
The Egyptians allowed anything from 75,000-115,000 Palestinian refugees into their country following Oct. 7, although it frequently charged exorbitant amounts for allowing them to do so. Usually in wars, neighboring countries take in refugees – and sometimes in Europe’s case actively import refugees whether they are seeking asylum or not.
Both Turkey and Jordan, for example, took in millions of Syrian refugees between them, despite the pressure it put on them. Egypt refused to take more, ensuring the Israeli military was responsible for creating humanitarian zones, which Hamas frequently violated, and required it to move large numbers of people as it ramped up its efforts to dislodge the terrorist group from power.
Jordan too is extremely wary – probably even more so than Egypt – about the potential presence of hundreds of thousands of additional Palestinians. The kingdom is in a precarious position, not least because some 70% of the population claiming Palestinian heritage.
Abdullah’s father, King Hussein, fought an armed conflict with the Palestine Liberation Organization led by arch terrorist Yasser Arafat from September 1970 to July 1971, so there are bitter memories of having radical Palestinians within their midst.
Indeed, Israel has been concerned for some time about the viability and security of the Hashemite kingdom, as it attempts to maintain legitimacy among a population which is broadly against the peace treaty it signed with the Jewish state in 1994. Abdullah’s wife, Kuwaiti-born Queen Rania has been a frequent and outspoken critic of Israel, in an attempt to endear herself with her largely Palestinian subjects.
In addition, Iran has for some time been attempting to undermine the kingdom’s stability as it seeks to maintain the pressure on Israel as part of its “ring of fire” strategy, which was so badly mauled from the late summer to the early winter, as first Hezbollah’s fighting capacity was severely dented, and Syria was overrun by Turkish-backed guerrillas leading to former president Assad’s fall and escape.
According to a former commander of the IDF Central Command Gadi Shamni, Trump’s proposal is “not practical.” “Let’s say the Jordanians and Egyptians agree to take in hundreds of thousands. Who will leave Gaza? Those who leave will be people with more resources and greater economic stability. Those who stay will be the problematic ones, the poor, the ones who, for 50 shekels a month, will turn to terrorism. So this entire idea of ‘population migration’ – I think it’s impractical,” Shamni said, reported the Jerusalem Post.