Jordan, Egypt Strongly Reject Trump's Gaza Evacuation Proposal
"I'd like Egypt to take people. And I'd like Jordan to take people," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Jan. 27, 2025
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority have strongly opposed U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to evacuate the Gaza Strip.
Both Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Egypt’s Foreign Ministry have firmly rejected Trump's proposal, which involves resettling Gaza’s Palestinian residents to neighboring Arab countries.
As reported by Anadolu Agency, Safadi reaffirmed Jordan’s “steadfast position” against accepting Gaza refugees, saying “The solution to the Palestinian issue lies in Palestine; Jordan is for Jordanians and Palestine is for Palestinians.”
Meanwhile, as reported by Anadolu Agency, Egypt issued a statement denouncing any violation of Palestinian rights.
“Egypt's continued support for the resilience of the Palestinian people on their land and their commitment to their legitimate rights in their homeland, in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law,” the statement read.
Regional and Palestinian Reactions
Le Monde reported that the Arab League condemned the proposal, characterizing it as an act of ethnic cleansing.
In a statement, the organization warned that "the forced displacement and eviction of people from their land can only be called ethnic cleansing" and underlined that such a plan would dissolve the Palestinian people’s identity and territorial claims.
Le Monde also cited the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, rejecting the proposal, saying "any projects" to relocate the people of Gaza outside the territory will be rejected.
Meanwhile, Hamas Political Bureau member Bassem Naim told AFP that the Palestinian people would resist such projects as they have historically resisted similar plans.
Trump’s Proposal and International Reactions
During a recent press briefing, Trump described Gaza as a "demolition site" and suggested relocating its Palestinian population to neighboring Arab countries, claiming this would foster peace in the Middle East.
"I'd like Egypt to take people. And I'd like Jordan to take people," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
"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," President Trump added.
For Palestinians, any effort to move them from Gaza would remind them of memories of what the Arab world calls the "Nakba" or catastrophe -- the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel's creation 75 years ago.
Israel has dismissed having any plans to force Gazans to move.
But some far-right members of the Israeli government have openly supported the idea of Gazans leaving the Palestinian territory.
As reported by Caliber, Trump’s proposal has drawn support from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who endorsed the plan as an "out-of-the-box thinking" that offers solutions which could “bring peace and security.”