Trump Urges Jordan and Egypt to Increase Palestinian Refugee Intake “`

Former President Donald Trump advocated Saturday for Jordan, Egypt, and other Arab nations to accept a larger influx of Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip, suggesting a potential relocation of a significant population to effectively clear the area devastated by the recent Israel-Hamas conflict, which is now under a ceasefire.

Trump informed reporters on Air Force One that he had spoken with King Abdullah II of Jordan earlier that day and was scheduled to speak with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Sunday.

“I’d like Egypt to take people,” Trump stated. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over.'”

Trump expressed his appreciation for Jordan’s acceptance of Palestinian refugees but conveyed to King Abdullah his desire for Jordan to take in more, citing the extensive damage in Gaza.

Such a large-scale displacement would contradict the Palestinian identity and deep-rooted connection to Gaza.

“Palestinians in Gaza—like Palestinians in the West Bank and Israel—overwhelmingly trace their ancestry to cities and villages in the region that today comprises Israel and Palestine,” former U.S. Representative Justin Amash, who is Palestinian, posted on X. “The idea that they are some kind of spillover from other countries in the so-called Arab world—that they are just interchangeable with other ‘Arabs’—is a false but routinely employed rhetorical device to erase their history on the land.”

“They are the descendants of Canaanites, Israelites, Phoenicians, and other ancient Levantine peoples,” Amash added. “Their ancestry overlaps with that of their Jewish neighbors, but they are converts to Christianity, Islam, and other religions. Any effort to force them out or to pressure them to leave under threat of force is simply ethnic cleansing.”

Trump acknowledged the long history of conflict in the region encompassing Gaza and suggested that resettlement could be temporary or permanent.

“Something has to happen,” Trump said. “But it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there. So, I’d 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.”

According to Israel’s Channel 12, unnamed sources suggest that “Trump’s statement about the migration of Gazans to Muslim countries is not a slip of the tongue but part of a much broader move than it seems, coordinated with Israel.”

Following his inauguration, Trump proposed on Monday that Gaza “really got to be rebuilt in a different way.”

“Gaza is interesting,” he added. “It’s a phenomenal location, on the sea. The best weather, you know, everything is good. It’s like, some beautiful things could be done with it, but it’s very interesting.”

Trump also claimed on Saturday that he ended former President Joe Biden’s restriction on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel during the Gaza conflict, a restriction that had been in place for a week.

“We released them today,” Trump said of the bombs. “They’ve been waiting for them for a long time.” Trump stated he lifted the ban on the bombs “Because they bought them.”

Biden had halted the delivery of the bombs in May to try to prevent Israel from launching a full-scale assault on Rafah.

The 15-month-long conflict began when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, prompting retaliatory military action from Israeli forces. Nearly 100 hostages remain held captive in Gaza.