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<div class="gmail-inner-article-top"><h1 class="gmail-">Trump acquits Israel, shifts Gaza problem to Arabs</h1><p class="gmail-">Trump’s
radical proposal to expel Gaza’s two million Palestinians to Arab lands
may have exposed the US–Israeli ethnic cleansing agenda, but it is
calculatingly geared as a threat to pressure Arab states to normalize
ties with Israel.</p><div class="gmail-another-name"><p><a href="https://thecradle.co/authors/khalil-harb" style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">Khalil Harb</a></p></div><div class="gmail-another-name" style="margin-top:16px"><p><span style="color:rgb(84,88,94)">FEB 10, 2025 - </span><font size="1"><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/trump-acquits-israel-shifts-gaza-problem-to-arabs">https://thecradle.co/articles/trump-acquits-israel-shifts-gaza-problem-to-arabs</a></font></p></div></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-img"><img src="https://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles/92465008-e7cd-11ef-aed3-00163e02c055.jpeg" alt="" width="394" height="186" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span>Photo Credit: The Cradle</span></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-content"><div class="gmail-row"><div class="gmail-col-md-8 gmail-col-sm-7"><div class="gmail-article-content"><span><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">US President Donald Trump has once again ignited global controversy by proposing the </span><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/trump-repeats-call-for-complete-ethnic-cleansing-of-gaza-after-netanyahu-meeting"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">displacement of Gaza’s two million residents</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"> – an idea so extreme it appeared to catch even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu off guard. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">The proposal, which would amount to ethnically cleansing Gaza, envisions transforming the strip into a luxurious “</span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/07/trump-gaza-redevelopment/"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Riviera of the Middle East</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">.”
It not only showcases the ongoing disregard for Palestinian lives and
sacrifices, but also reaffirms the deep-seated US bipartisan support for
the Zionist project in Washington's political circles.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">For
75 years, Palestinians have resisted efforts to erase their presence
from their historic homeland. Now, after 15 months of war, Gaza’s
resilience has forced the occupation state to acknowledge a new
battlefield reality. Yet Trump’s proposal aims to dismantle that
defiance, framing ethnic cleansing as an </span><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/can-jared-kushners-investment-firm-connect-gulf-money-and-trump-gaza-plan"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">investment opportunity</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"> while further entrenching US–Israeli coordination at the expense of Arab states.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">What
makes this moment particularly alarming is the way Trump has positioned
himself as the architect of a sweeping regional realignment in which
West Asian states are stripped of all agency. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">His
attempt to package mass displacement as part of a “peace” initiative
reveals a broader strategy: pressuring Arab states to further embrace
the 2020 Abraham Accords – normalization with Israel – while sidelining
the Palestinian cause altogether.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"><strong>Displacement: A “crazy” plan or a calculated move? </strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Even in the US, many dismissed Trump’s proposal to relocate Gaza’s two million residents as a “crazy” idea. Yet, its shockwaves </span><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/arab-states-reject-trumps-call-for-mass-displacement-of-palestinians-from-gaza"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">reverberated</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"> deafeningly through Jordan and Egypt, triggering fears not seen in decades about forced Palestinian displacement. </span><a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/-take-israelis-to-alaska-greenland-saudi-official-mocks-trump-s-gaza-plan/3476754"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Saudi Arabia</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">, widely believed to be next in line to normalize with Tel Aviv – if Trump has his way – sharply rebuked Washington. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">In an article for the KSA newspaper </span><i><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Okaz,</span></i><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"> Saudi Shura Council member Yousef bin Trad Al-Saadoun lashed out:</span></p><blockquote><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">“If
he (Trump) truly wants to be a hero of peace and achieve stability and
prosperity for the Middle East (West Asia), he should relocate his
beloved Israelis to the state of Alaska and then to Greenland – after
annexing it.”</span></p></blockquote><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">To
Palestinians and much of the world, Trump’s plan appeared to be an
attempt to break Gaza’s resistance movement, Hamas, which, after 15
months of relentless war, has not only withstood the US-backed Israeli
war machine but has </span><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/hamass-strategic-survival-drives-israel-crazy"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">imposed</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">
its own terms on the “day after” scenario. Hamas emerged from the
trenches with raised rifles, forcing the occupation to acknowledge its
power in </span><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/dozens-of-palestinians-released-from-israeli-jails-in-fifth-prisoner-exchange"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">prisoner-exchange</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"> negotiations.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Last
week, the spectacle of Trump and Netanyahu standing side by side in the
White House was both surreal and unsettling. Trump, convicted of
multiple criminal offenses, and Netanyahu, </span><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/icc-issues-arrest-warrants-for-netanyahu-gallant-over-gaza-war-crimes"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">wanted</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">
by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, discussed the
future of Gaza and its people with stunning nonchalance. Even Netanyahu
appeared </span><a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/trump-s-gaza-plan-shocks-officials-raises-skepticism/3473993"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">caught off guard</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"> by the extremity of Trump’s vision for a US-led takeover of the Palestinian territory.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"><strong>The ‘real estate deal’ of the century</strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Trump's
framing of Gaza as a “real estate deal” is an audacious attempt to
strip Arab states of their remaining political leverage. Saudi Arabia,
which has long sought to maintain a veneer of commitment to the
two-state solution, is now being maneuvered into a position where its
diplomatic stance is undermined. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Repeated </span><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles-id/28759"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">affirmations</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">
from Riyadh that Palestinian statehood is a prerequisite for
normalization with Israel seem increasingly at odds with US and Israeli
messaging.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Trump further
escalated this pressure by claiming that Saudi Arabia seeks peace with
Israel without conditioning it on Palestinian statehood. Netanyahu
swiftly reinforced this claim in a tone dripping with sarcasm, </span><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles-id/28794"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">suggesting</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"> that Saudis “can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there.”</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">This
American–Israeli coordination highlights a dangerous trend: an
intensification of pressure on Saudi Arabia, which has thus far resisted
all normalization entreaties by the US. Given its symbolic and
strategic role in the Muslim world, Riyadh faces a precarious dilemma.
Moving toward normalization without securing Palestinian statehood could
be a gamble with the very legitimacy of the ruling Al-Saud family.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Economically
vulnerable Jordan, meanwhile, finds itself in an even more unenviable
position. Trump has floated both Jordan and Egypt as potential
destinations for displaced Palestinians, triggering frantic diplomatic
activity within the Cairo–Riyadh–Amman triangle. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">However, as history has shown, Arab diplomatic reactions often come too late. An “</span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/egypt-host-emergency-arab-summit-27-february-discuss-serious-palestinian-2025-02-09/"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">emergency</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">” Arab summit to address the crisis is scheduled for 27 February, a timeline that hardly conveys a sense of urgency.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Cairo,
wary of Trump’s machinations, has reportedly warned Washington,
European allies, and Tel Aviv that its 50-year-old peace treaty with
Israel is at risk if forced displacement moves forward. Jordan’s Foreign
Minister Ayman Safadi went further, calling any attempt to relocate
Palestinians a “declaration of war.”</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Yet,
despite the tough rhetoric, both Cairo and Amman remain vulnerable.
Trump’s ability to manipulate financial aid as leverage could push
Jordan into deeper dependence on Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Egypt, already
navigating an economic crisis, faces a similar predicament.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"><strong>Regional and global opposition </strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Saudi Arabia’s former intelligence chief, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, </span><a href="https://www.arabnews.com/node/2589165/saudi-arabia"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">told</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"> </span><i><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">CNN</span></i><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">
that he expected Arab and Muslim countries, along with other nations
and Europe, to take up the issue at the UN to show that the world
opposed “this mad ethnic cleansing plan.” </span></p><blockquote><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">“It
is a fantasy to think that ethnic cleansing in the 21st century can be
condoned by a world community that stays on its behind, and does not
respond to that…The problem in Palestine is not the Palestinians. It is
the Israeli occupation. And this has been clear and understood by
everybody.”</span></p></blockquote><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Prince Turki went further by penning an open letter to President Trump in the UAE newspaper </span><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comment/2025/02/03/palestine-israel-middle-east-donald-trump/"><i><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">The National</span></i></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">, saying:</span></p><blockquote><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">“Most
of the people of Gaza are refugees, driven out of their homes in what
is now Israel and the West Bank by the previous Israeli genocidal
assault on them in the 1948 and 1967 wars. If they are to be moved from
Gaza, they should be allowed to return to their homes and to their
orange and olive groves in Haifa, Jaffa and other towns and villages
from which they fled or were forcibly driven out by the Israelis.”</span></p></blockquote><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Writing in </span><i><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Haaretz</span></i><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">, Israeli columnist Zvi Bar'el </span><a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/2025-02-06/ty-article/.premium/trumps-gaza-plan-will-impact-egypt-and-jordan-too/00000194-d951-d6d4-a3d6-fff974bb0000"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">argues</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"> that: </span></p><blockquote><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">“Until
now, Middle Eastern (West Asian) countries have been classified by
their geopolitical alignment – the moderate Sunni axis or the pro-US
axis, the Shiite axis or the so-called Iranian axis of evil. On Tuesday,
Trump introduced a new one: the axis of fear.”</span></p></blockquote><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">But
Bar'el predicts that Cairo and Amman may be subjected to American anger
and economic threat because of their stance on the Trump plan, and that
Saudi Arabia may not be able to remain silent about it. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Internationally,
Trump’s proposal has sparked widespread condemnation. From the UN to
European capitals, Moscow, Beijing, and the Global South, there has been
little support for his Gaza proposal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas
Araghchi even </span><a href="https://www.newarab.com/news/iran-mocks-trump-gaza-plan-suggests-israelis-move-greenland"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">mocked</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">
the plan, suggesting that if Trump was so keen on deportation, he
should send Israelis to Greenland instead, “so they can kill two birds
with one stone,” referring to Trump’s comments on acquiring the Danish
territory. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">While Trump has
attempted to downplay his plan in the face of mounting criticism, lately
describing it as “not urgent,” the damage is already done. Legal
experts have labeled the proposal a “war crime,” a calculated act of
ethnic cleansing masquerading as an investment opportunity. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"><strong>Dealing with the displacement scheme </strong></span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Statements
from Saudi, Egyptian, and Jordanian officials reaffirming their
commitment to a two-state solution are not enough. The mini-summit held
in Cairo earlier this month with representatives from Jordan, the UAE,
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the </span><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/the-pas-west-bank-crackdown-a-crisis-of-legitimacy"><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">collaborative</span></a><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr"> Palestinian Authority (PA), and the Arab League must be followed by broader, more decisive action.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">A Palestinian source from the resistance factions tells </span><i><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">The Cradle</span></i><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">
that Arab states need to mobilize beyond mere diplomatic statements.
Coordinated engagement with European capitals, Moscow, Beijing, and the
wider Islamic world is critical to countering the Trump–Netanyahu
scheme, which the Israeli right is eager to implement.</span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Israel's
Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has already instructed the military to
draft a plan facilitating “voluntary” departures from Gaza. This effort
to rebrand ethnic cleansing as a humanitarian initiative compliments the
brazenness of the Trump–Netanyahu agenda. </span></p><p><span lang="EN-US" dir="ltr">Gaza
lies in ruins, a devastation wrought by Netanyahu’s war machine, with
no US condemnation in sight. And yet, rather than accountability, Trump
offers a new chapter of displacement and normalization, a policy that
could reshape the region in ways that will reverberate for generations.</span></p></span></div></div></div></div>
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