Arab nations reject Trump’s suggestion to move Palestinians from Gaza

A large group of Arab nations rejected a floated idea by President Trump on Saturday for Gazans to be transferred to Egypt and Jordan, affirming in a joint declaration that such a plan risked conflict in the Middle East.

The declaration, signed by Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, did not refer to the comments of Mr. Trump explicitly but warned that any plan that encouraged the “transfer or uproot them Palestinians of their land “would threaten stability in the region and” undermine the chances of peace and coexistence among its people. “

In recent days, Trump has repeatedly suggested that more gasans should be evacuated from the enclave and welcomed by Jordan and Egypt.

The extreme right in Israel made calls similar to the Palestinians to leave the territory.

“You are probably talking about a million and a half people, and we are cleaning all of this,” Trump said about Gaza last weekend. “I don’t know. Something should happen, but it is literally a demolition site right now.”

He said that the Palestinians could be in Jordan and Egypt “temporarily, or could be long term”. It was not clear from Mr. Trump’s comments if he suggested that the whole population of Gaza – more than two million people – should leave.

For the Palestinians, even the suggestion of such a mass exile evokes painful historical memories: hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were moved to neighboring countries during the war surrounding the establishment of Israel in 1948. After their departure, Israel has not allowed them to come back and many are always officially considered to be refugees.