Trump’s Gaza plan has stunned the region. Here’s a look at the serious obstacles it faces

By JOSEPH KRAUSS, Associated Press

President Donald Trump’s stunning proposal to forcibly transportation hundreds of thousands of Palestinians retired of the Gaza Strip and make it arsenic a tourer destination faces large obstacles.

The Palestinians and galore others presumption specified plans arsenic an effort to thrust them from their homeland aft Israel’s 15-month violative against Hamas rendered overmuch of it uninhabitable. It was besides seen arsenic an effort to liquidate their decades-long conflict for a state, which has wide planetary support.

Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan — adjacent U.S. allies astatine bid with Israel — have condemned specified plans and roundly rejected Trump’s proposition that they instrumentality successful much Palestinian refugees.

Saudi Arabia issued a uncommon overnight connection rejecting the thought of transportation and reiterating that it won’t normalize relations with Israel — a cardinal extremity of the Trump medication — without the constitution of a Palestinian authorities including Gaza.

The connection besides risks undermining the ceasefire successful Gaza and the continued release of hostages taken successful Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught that triggered the war. Trump has claimed recognition for brokering the truce, but its aboriginal is present much uncertain.

Hamas has been designated arsenic a violent enactment by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

The Palestinians don’t privation to leave

Palestinians presumption Gaza arsenic an integral portion of their nationalist homeland and aspire to an autarkic authorities successful Gaza, the West Bank and eastbound Jerusalem, territories Israel captured successful the 1967 Mideast war.

Most of Gaza’s colonisation are descendants of refugees from the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation, erstwhile hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled oregon were driven retired of what is present Israel. They were not allowed to instrumentality due to the fact that they would person outnumbered the caller state’s Jewish population.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aft a quality league successful the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, successful Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, suggested that if Trump’s extremity is to nonstop the Palestinians to a “happy, bully place,” they should instrumentality to their ancestral homes successful Israel.

The perfect of remaining connected one’s onshore contempt threats of expulsion is astatine the bosom of the Palestinians’ conflict and self-identity, and was connected vivid show past week erstwhile hundreds of thousands returned to bluish Gaza contempt its near-total destruction.

Both Hamas and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which recognizes Israel and cooperates with it connected security, person vehemently condemned Trump’s proposal.

Arab countries volition not judge Palestinian refugees

Egypt and Jordan, which made bid with Israel decades ago, person repeatedly rejected erstwhile proposals to resettle Palestinians wrong their borders.

They excessively fearfulness that Israel would ne'er let the Palestinians to return, and that a wide influx of Palestinian refugees would erstwhile again destabilize the region, arsenic it did successful the decades aft 1948, erstwhile it was a cardinal origin successful Lebanon’s civilian warfare and Israel’s 2 invasions of that country. Both countries besides person struggling economies that would person a hard clip absorbing ample numbers of refugees.

Trump suggested that affluent Gulf countries could wage to resettle the Palestinians, but that appears unlikely.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar person joined Egypt and Jordan successful rejecting immoderate transportation plans, and the Saudis repudiated the program astir immediately.

The Saudi connection reiterated remarks made successful September by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who said Saudi Arabia would not normalize relations with Israel without the instauration of a Palestinian authorities with eastbound Jerusalem arsenic its capital.

The kingdom said its “unwavering presumption is non-negotiable and not taxable to compromises.”

Trump has leverage, but truthful bash Mideast leaders

Trump seems to relish utilizing tariffs, sanctions and assistance cutoffs to unit allies and adversaries alike, and could use economical unit connected countries similar Egypt and Jordan, which person agelong relied connected American aid.

But those countries person levers of their ain successful the look of what they spot arsenic a large menace to their nationalist security. And affluent Gulf countries, which person besides historically provided assistance to Egypt and Jordan, could assistance cushion immoderate economical blow.

Egypt has already warned that immoderate wide transportation of Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula bordering Gaza could undermine its bid pact with Israel — a cornerstone of determination stableness and American power for astir a half-century.

Egypt and Qatar person besides served arsenic cardinal mediators with Hamas successful the talks that led to the ceasefire, and some are moving with Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, to effort to widen it.

Israelis invited the plan, but hostages are a priority

The thought of wide transportation has historically been confined to the far-right successful Israel, but connected Wednesday, mainstream leaders said Trump’s program was worthy considering.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, astatine the property league with Trump, acknowledged that “jaws drop” erstwhile the U.S. president proposes unorthodox ideas, but past “people scratch their heads and they say, ‘You know, he’s right.’”

Benny Gantz, a centrist person and erstwhile general agelong seen arsenic a much mean alternate to Netanyahu, said Trump’s connection showed “creative, archetypal and intriguing thinking,” and should beryllium studied alongside different warfare goals, “prioritizing the instrumentality of each the hostages.”

Opposition person Yair Lapid, a fierce professional of Netanyahu who has voiced enactment for a two-state solution successful the past, did not entity to the idea. Instead, helium said successful an interrogation with section media that it was excessively aboriginal to respond to Trump’s connection since determination are nary factual details, and that returning the hostages was astir important.

The existent signifier of the Gaza ceasefire, successful which Hamas is to merchandise 33 hostages successful speech for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, ends successful aboriginal March. The 2nd phase, successful which the remaining 60 oregon truthful hostages would beryllium freed successful speech for much prisoners, is being negotiated.

Hamas has said it volition not merchandise the remaining hostages without an extremity to the warfare and a afloat Israeli withdrawal — which would apt preclude immoderate forcible transfer.

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who supports what helium refers to arsenic the “voluntary emigration” of ample numbers of Palestinians and the re-establishment of Jewish settlements successful Gaza, has threatened to permission Netanyahu’s conjugation if helium doesn’t resume the warfare aft the archetypal phase, which would apt pb to aboriginal elections. He welcomed Trump’s proposal.

The resumption of the warfare would enactment the remaining hostages’ lives astatine risk, and there’s nary warrant it would destruct Hamas, which inactive controls astir of Gaza. It would besides undo what Trump has portrayed arsenic a large accomplishment and further hold immoderate normalization with Saudi Arabia.

An opening gambit?

There’s different possibility: That Trump’s connection is an opening gambit successful a bargaining process aimed astatine yet securing the benignant of Middle East mega-deal helium says helium is seeking.

It was lone past week that Trump was threatening large tariffs against Canada and Mexico, America’s 2 biggest trading partners, before putting them connected hold aft their leaders took steps to appease his concerns astir borderline information and cause trafficking.

During his archetypal term, Trump flirted with the anticipation of Israel annexing parts of the occupied West Bank earlier the thought was shelved arsenic portion of a normalization statement with the United Arab Emirates.

Trump could yet pare down his connection oregon enactment it connected clasp successful speech for concessions from Arab leaders, possibly connected Gaza’s reconstruction oregon connected normalization with Israel — though the Saudi connection appeared to regularisation that out.

There could beryllium much clarity erstwhile the daze wears off, and erstwhile Trump meets with Jordan’s King Abdullah II astatine the White House adjacent week.