“I want them to live in a place without violence. Gaza has
been hell for so many years. They can live in much better and more comfortable
areas,” Trump said while referring to Israel’s devastating war on the
Palestinian territory.
On Saturday, Trump floated the idea of transferring Gazans
to Egypt and Jordan to “clean out” the enclave.
“It is literally a demolition site right now, almost
everything is demolished and people are dying there. So, I would rather get
involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing in a different
location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change,” he said.
Jordan and Egypt have issued official statements rejecting
the removal of Palestinians from Gaza.
Trump’s idea is in line with those Israeli politicians who
have consistently supported the mass relocation of Palestinians from the Gaza
Strip and the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in the territory.
In October 2024, former National Security Minister Itamar
Ben Gvir called for reestablishing settlements in Gaza and “encouraging
emigration” of the strip’s 2.3 million population.
“If we want to we can renew settlement in Gaza…We can [also]
do something else – encourage emigration. Israel is giving them (Palestinians)
the option of going to other countries,” the far-right minister, who resigned
following the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza said.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on
January 19 after Israel failed to “destroy” the Palestinian resistance groups
following more than a 15-month conflict.
Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza on October 07, 2023,
killing more than 47,000 Palestinians including some 17,000 children.
Israeli intentions extend beyond the reoccupation of Gaza to
include the annexation of the occupied West Bank.
Following Trump’s reelection as the US president in the
November 2024 election, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich suggested the
regime would look to annex the West Bank in 2025.
“2025: the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” the
far-right minister said, using the biblical name by which Israel refers to the
West Bank.
Days after the US presidential election, Smotrich hoped that
the Trump administration would recognize Israel’s push for “sovereignty” over
the occupied territory.
"I am convinced that we will be able to work closely
together with President-elect Trump and all members of the incoming
administration, to promote the common values and interests of the two
countries, to strengthen the strength and security of the State of Israel, to
expand the circle of peace and stability in the Middle East out of strength and
faith and on the basis of recognition in the unquestionable historical
belonging of the whole Land of Israel to the people of Israel," Smotrich
said.
Trump
moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (al-Quds) during his first term
(January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021). He also proposed a plan that would have
cemented Israeli control over al-Quds and protected settlements in the West
Bank. This is while all Israeli settlements are illegal under international
law.
From now on, it seems that Trump will likely align his
objectives with those of Smotrich and similar figures.
Mike Huckabee, Trump's nominee to be the next US ambassador
to Israel, is a strong advocate for the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over
the West Bank.
Huckabee told the Associated Press when he was running to be
the Republican presidential nominee in 2015 that if elected, his administration
would formally recognize the West Bank as part of Israel.
The Israeli army attempted to ethnically cleanse
Palestinians from Gaza, but it failed to do so amid rising resistance.
Meanwhile, Israel has intensified deadly assaults on the
West Bank as it seeks to implement its malevolent plans in the occupied
territory.
But Palestinians have shown that they will
fight tooth and nail against the Israeli army that is armed
to the teeth.
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