February 05, 2025
By Nasser Kandil
• For the third and fourth time, former U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed his call for Jordan and Egypt to participate in the forced displacement of Gaza’s population. This time, he speaks of relocating all Gazans – for a period of fifteen years, which he claims is necessary for Gaza’s reconstruction. He justifies this by insisting it is in their best interest, arguing that the conditions required for rebuilding are incompatible with their continued presence in the Strip.
• Trump’s rhetoric, dressed up as a humanitarian “recovery period” – as if Palestinians are being offered a decade and a half of leisure before returning home – is nothing short of absurd. Where was this supposed concern for Gazans’ well-being when they were being slaughtered in mass atrocities, when their children and women were buried under rubble, when every home, every shred of infrastructure – electricity, water, healthcare, education – was systematically destroyed?
• For any Palestinian, Trump’s words carry a single, unmistakable meaning – one he inadvertently reveals himself. He claims he is not necessarily in favor of Israeli settlements in Gaza, which, in effect, means he does not oppose them. His so-called tourism plan for Palestinians is, at best, a euphemism for displacement – one that conveniently aligns with the simultaneous Israeli colonisation of their land.
• Trump addresses Jordan and Egypt as though he already holds Gaza’s consent in his pocket. Did he even consider consulting a specialised UN agency to gauge the will of the people he seeks to displace? If he refuses to acknowledge reality, he need only look at the hundreds of thousands of Gazans who, before receiving tents for shelter, food for survival, or medicine for their wounds, marched back to northern Gaza – choosing to live among the ruins of their homes rather than accept exile.
• Trump’s problem is that he lives in La La Land, convinced of his own genius and that no one else understands how to solve problems. To him, every issue on Earth is a real estate deal. That’s how he viewed Panama, Mexico, and Canada. As a developer and real estate broker, he has no problem making deals – then walking them back. He did so with Panama, Mexico, and Canada, and now he is attempting the same with Gaza, treating displacement as a mere transaction. But here, there will be no retreat – because he will crash headlong into the will of Gaza’s people.
• Most likely, Trump will try to sell this idea to his friend Benjamin Netanyahu, pitching it as an effort to accomplish what Israel itself has failed to achieve. In return, Trump will expect Netanyahu to move forward on implementing the Gaza and Lebanon agreements as a prelude to a grander deal – one that sees Washington helping Tel Aviv secure the so-called “prize of the century”: normalisation with Saudi Arabia. The question is whether Israel is willing to pay even a small price for it – specifically, a public declaration of support for a Palestinian state.
• The offer is still on the table. Let’s wait and see.
