Israelis mock Trump's plan to 'clean out' Palestinians from Gaza

Several prominent Israeli figures, including veteran journalists and commentators, have ridiculed US President Donald Trump's proposal to "clean out" Gaza and forcibly transfer Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt. This proposal has sparked widespread controversy and skepticism.

On Saturday, less than a week after a ceasefire in Gaza went into effect, Trump described the Palestinian enclave as a "demolition site" and said it would be "better to just clean the whole place out." He further stated, "I would have Egypt take those people. You're talking about maybe a million and a half people, and we just clean the whole place out and then say, 'You know, it's over.'" Trump also thanked Jordan for successfully taking in Palestinian refugees and said he told the King of Jordan, "I'd like you to take more because I see this whole place in Gaza, it's a mess, it's terrible." He added that the move "could be temporary" or "could be long term."

Palestinians immediately condemned the remarks, and along with Jordan and Egypt, rejected the idea, fearing that if they were forced to leave, Israel would never allow Palestinians to return to Gaza. Haaretz harshly criticized Trump's policy proposal on Monday, with the editorial board noting that the Gaza Strip is the "home" of more than 2 million Palestinians and ridiculing the suggestion of sending them to other Arab countries and Indonesia. The editorial read: "At this rate, Trump will likely suggest that Gazans 'voluntarily' launch into space and settle on Mars, in line with his promise in his inaugural address: 'We will pursue our manifest destiny to the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on Mars.'" The editorial also sarcastically added, "Why not plant the Palestinian flag? Perhaps his partner Elon Musk is already working on it."

Haaretz columnist Chaim Levinson wrote: "I'm sorry, but I have to disappoint you. After checking with many officials in Israel and relevant countries, as well as diplomats involved in the negotiations, it seems that this is just the vision of an experienced real estate tycoon and there is no concrete action plan." He further pointed out: "The residents of the Gaza Strip are considered lepers by their friends in other Islamic countries. Everyone talks about their suffering, from the Emir of Qatar to the President of Egypt, they are willing to send them money, but take them in? There is a limit, and they will stick to it firmly." Another Haaretz columnist, Zvi Bar'el, stated that it is impossible for Jordan to take in more Palestinians, especially after King Abdullah's speech at the UN General Assembly in September, where he said that the Hashemite Kingdom would never be a "substitute homeland" for Palestinians.

International law experts have stated that any plan to "clean out Gaza" would violate international law. Ardi Imseis, a professor of international law at Queen's University and former UN official, said, "President Trump’s desire for a mass 'relocation' of Palestinians from the occupied Gaza Strip is both illegal and wishful thinking." He pointed out that "under international humanitarian law and international criminal law, the forcible transfer or deportation of protected persons from an occupied territory to the occupying power or any other country, whether occupied or not, is prohibited, regardless of its motivation." Jordan already hosts more than 2 million Palestinian refugees, while Egypt, which borders Gaza, has warned that transferring large numbers of Palestinians to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula would pose security risks. Currently, 5.8 million registered Palestinian refugees live in dozens of camps in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. Approximately 80% of the population of Gaza are refugees or descendants of refugees displaced since the 1948 Nakba, when Israel occupied 78% of historic Palestine.

In the United States, even some Republicans loyal to Trump have struggled to understand the President's remarks. When asked about the meaning of the President's "clean out" remarks, Senator Lindsey Graham told CNN, "I really don't know." Graham added, "The idea that all the Palestinians are going to leave and go somewhere else, I don't think that's very realistic." He believes Trump should continue to talk with regional leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and officials from the United Arab Emirates. The German government also rejected the idea of a mass expulsion of Palestinians on Monday, with a Foreign Ministry spokesperson telling reporters in Berlin that Germany shares the view of the "EU, our Arab partners, the UN... that the Palestinian people must not be expelled from Gaza, and that Gaza must not be permanently occupied or re-colonized by Israel."

Earlier on Monday, tens of thousands of Palestinians poured into northern Gaza, the most devastated part of the enclave, with large crowds openly stating that they would not be displaced from their land. Sami Saleh, who has been displaced multiple times, told Middle East Eye that despite having an "extremely difficult" period of displacement over the past year, he was happy to return home. "I will not hide these feelings, and it is no exaggeration when I say this: I wanted to fly to the north... these feelings have been there since the beginning. Despite all the pain and hardship, I had to return to the north, no matter what, even if I had to walk back barefoot," he said. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since January 19, and on Saturday, Israel and Hamas completed their second prisoner exchange. Hamas released four Israeli female soldiers in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners.

The Trump administration has pledged "unwavering support" for Israel, but has not outlined a broader Middle East strategy. On Saturday, the US President confirmed that he had directed the Pentagon to approve the delivery of 2,000-pound (907 kg) bombs to Israel, a shipment that had previously been paused by former President Joe Biden.