Trump plan for the day after in Gaza is evacuation, then construction

Opinion: US president reveals he raised the idea of removing Palestinian population during Gaza reconstruction with Jordanian king and will do so with Egyptian leader although it is likely to be rejected by both and by Palestinian leadership'; In Israel there is a more positive view 

U.S. President Donald Trump wants to turn Gaza into the Middle Eastern version of Singapore. He told reporters traveling with him on board Air Force One that he believes Egypt and Jordan should take in Palestinian residents of the Strip and provide them with a better life.
Trump said he discussed the matter with King Abdullah II of Jordan and intended to bring it up in his conversations with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
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ביג מיוחד
ביג מיוחד
President Donald Trump wants to move Gazans out of the strip during reconstruction
(Photos: Mohammed Salem/Reuters, Dawoud Abu Alkas/AP; Alex Brandon/AP)
The idea that had been floated by Israelis and Americans in the business community early in the war could provide a solution for the day after the war and improve the financial distress of the Strip's resident while perhaps reducing their motivation for war against Israel.
Rebuilding the Gaza Strip void of most of its population would also prevent Hamas and other Islamist factions from rebuilding their military capabilities, including underground infrastructure and rocket launch pads.
Gazan displaced people gather near the Netzarim highway, waiting for the opportunity to return north
Some 1.9 million out of the 2.2 million-strong population of Gaza is now concentrated in makeshift shelters and tents, in an area along the shoreline that constitutes a quarter of the total Gaza territory. When those displaced from towns in the northern areas return to find the destruction there, they will set up similar shelters but without the benefit of basic infrastructure.
It is unclear whether Trump or his team even ran their plans by Israel or countries like Qatar, the UAE or Saudi Arabia, which are expected to fund the initiative. But relocating a significant portion of the population until the rebuilding of the Strip is complete was discussed by the new administration, before Trump took office.
An unnamed officials on Trump's team said a week before the January 20 inauguration that there was a plan to transfer Gaza residents to Indonesia, which is the largest Muslim country in the world, but it is located at a great distance from the Strip and its culture is vastly different as well.
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מלך ירדן עבדאללה פגישה עם נשיא מצרים עבד אל-פתאח א-סיסי ב קהיר
מלך ירדן עבדאללה פגישה עם נשיא מצרים עבד אל-פתאח א-סיסי ב קהיר
Jordan's King Abdullah meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo
(Photo: Jordanian Royal Palace / Yousef Allan/AFP)
That is why other officials attributed the idea to the new administration's inexperience, but now it appears that Trump is serious about relocating some of the Gaza population for the rebuilding of the Strip and had discussed the idea with the Jordanian king.
But Trump's gaggle with journalists on his plane did not reveal if King Abdullah's response was positive, although he reportedly did not reject the idea, probably hoping not to annoy the new American president who does not like to take no for an answer and threatens anyone who rejects his proposals with sanctions. But Arab officials who may or may not be involved in the scheme are expected to oppose it.
In Israel Trump would find more support because it would enable the discussion on the future rule over Gaza to be delayed by years. Rebuilding a nearly empty Strip would allow Israel to ensure that there is no military infrastructure included in the works- above or below ground, would enable influence over security arrangements and ensure profit from the movement of supplies through its ports and through the passages leading into the Strip.
Gazans and West Bank Palestinians will strongly reject the idea. Officials in the Palestinian Authority and Hamas warned early on in the war that Israel intended to force a migration of Gaza residents and that Israeli settlers would try to take their place. Any idea to allow displaced Gazan's to find refuge in the Sinai desert was also rejected, for the same reasons.
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עקורים פלסטינים חוזרים לצפון רצועת עזה
עקורים פלסטינים חוזרים לצפון רצועת עזה
Displaced Palestinians return to northern Gaza Strip
(Photo: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP )
Palestinians would consider the initiative as an effort to remove them from their land, while Trump and his Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, both real-estate moguls, see their plan as a way to bring calm to the region and vast profits to those who carry it out, including Turkey, for example.
Jordan's opposition would come from the imbalance that would be caused in the kingdom should a large number of Palestinians join the population. They are already the majority, overshadowing the Bedouin population. Most Jordanian Palestinians were originally from the West Bank and are culturally different from those in Gaza who would compete for jobs and resources despite Trump's promised substantial aid. Jordan had also taken in refugees from Iraq and Syria in recent years.
Settling Gazans in the Egyptian Sinai makes more sense and may ease their concerns of removal far from their homes. They may also be able to work in the reconstruction effort and earn a living, but Egypt has thus far rejected any such idea.
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גבול מצרים ברפיח שבדרום רצועת עזה
גבול מצרים ברפיח שבדרום רצועת עזה
The Egyptian border in Rafah in southern Gaza
(Photo: Mohammed Abed / AFP)
The Egyptians did agree that a Bedouin-Egyptian company would transfer Palestinians across the border from Gaza for a limited stay, for thousands of dollars, but built a high wall to prevent a flow of refugees into Egyptian territory. Egypt has 112.7 million citizens who are for the most part poor and does not need more mouths to feed especially since the Palestinians are considered trouble makers and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is seen as a threat to Sisi's regime.
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Hamas, which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, is better left on their side of the border in Cairo's view, and even if Trump promises billions in aid to be delivered from the Gulf nations the Egyptian president would not agree to take Palestinians into his country.
Gazans themselves would prefer to remain in refugee camps built inside the Strip, near the towns and villages that would be rebuilt, and to return to them when the work is done.
Still, Trump's latest idea would likely be discussed in the administration, at least for a while.
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