Trump says Egypt and Jordan will agree to take displaced Palestinians from Gaza
News
US
The two Arab nations have so far categorically rejected taking Palestinians displaced by the months-long war
Jihan Abdalla
Washington
January 31, 2025
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
President Donald Trump on Thursday insisted that Egypt and Jordan would take Palestinians from Gaza - a plan Arab leaders have so far flatly rejected.
'They will do it. They are going to do it, OK?' he told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House. 'We do a lot for them and they are going to do it."
Mr Trump last week suggested that Egypt and Jordan should take in displaced and homeless Palestinians from Gaza so that 'we clean out that whole thing'.
The latest comments came as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, enacted about two weeks ago, appears to be holding.
The deal, brokered by the US, Egypt and Qatar, ended 15 month of war that turned Gaza into what Mr Trump has called "a demolition site".
Relentless bombing by Israel's army, in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people, has turned much of the coastal enclave into rubble. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed.
The suggestion that Egypt and Jordan take Palestinians has struck a nerve in the region. More than two million Palestinians live in Gaza, the majority have been displaced and now have little access to housing, food and medical care.
But for Palestinians, plans to move them out of Gaza are reminiscent of the Nakba of 1948, when Palestinians were expelled en mass by Israeli forces.
Jordanian and Egyptians leaders have also categorically rejected the suggestion.
In a statement, Jordan's royal palace said that the nation has a "firm position on the need to keep the Palestinians on their land and to guarantee their legitimate rights, in accordance with the Israeli and Palestinian two-state solution".
Jordan hosts about 2.3 million Palestinian refugees, according to the UN.
And on Wednesday, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said that Mr Trump's suggestion amounted to ' an act of oppression '.
Mr Trump, who took office on January 20, does wield considerable leverage over Jordan and Egypt, two important Washington allies that are also recipients US aid.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arabian Post
2 hours ago
- Arabian Post
Israel Is All Set To Take Over Gaza, West Bank Area
By Nantoo Banerjee Gaza's Hamas militants face an unmitigated disaster as Israel is all set to take full control over Gaza strip after a gap of almost 20 years. Simultaneously, Israel seems to be gearing up to annex a substantial portion (Area C) of West Bank ignoring protests from France, the United Kingdom and Sweden and even a section of its own people In Tel Aviv. Last week, Israel said it would establish 22 additional Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. Hamas has few genuine supporters in the Arab world barring Iran and pro-Iran Houthis. Gaza may soon become a part of Israel's extended territory with Palestinian population vastly diminished due to death and displacement during the Israel-Hamas war since October 7, 2023. The present Gaza war follows several unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflicts in the past, including those in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2021. Ironically, Israel gave up the control of the Gaza strip, one of the world's most densely populated settlements, in 2005. It withdrew from the Gaza strip and dismantled all its settlements. Israel also withdrew from the Philadelphi Route, a narrow strip of land adjacent to the border with Egypt, after Egypt agreed to secure its side of the border after the Agreement on Movement and Access, known as the Rafah accord. The Israeli army had invaded and took control of the Gaza strip in 1967 following a six-day war. It also captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem. At the time of Israel's withdrawal from the 40-kilometer-long Gaza strip, its population was as large as 1.3 million. The birth rate in Gaza is among the highest in the world. However, there was little room for a proper Jewish settlement there to govern the place without much tension. The Palestinian population is expected to be reduced significantly due to death and dislocation by the time of the end of the war, which seems to have reached the final stage. Nearly 70 percent of Gaza's Palestinian population are refugees, depending mostly on humanitarian assistance for their daily livelihood. The security-linked Israeli blockade of transport movement through the land, air, and sea has forced a good number of the Gaza population to flee the area or die of starvation. In a way, Gaza's refugee population has long been held captive by the Hamas militants running the show in the narrow strip. Once reacquired, Israel will ensure an adequate presence of Jewish population in Gaza to ensure its smooth management and make the strip economically viable. Once the Gaza strip is conquered and a good part of the West Bank comes under the full Israeli control, the country is expected to concentrate on realising its long-cherished dream to emerge as one of the world's top economic and military power. Currently, Israel is West Asia's most developed and advanced country, boasting the 17th largest foreign-exchange reserves in the world. It has the highest average wealth per adult in the 18-member West Asian region, including those on or near the Arabian Peninsula, as well as Turkey, Egypt, and Iran. Israel ranks 10th worldwide by financial assets per capita. Notably, as many as eight Arab states now openly and unabashedly deal with Israel. They are: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Morocco, Bahrain and Sudan. Assuming that Israel's fighting in Gaza and Lebanon will ease soon, the latest economic survey report of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has forecast that the country's economy will grow at a rate of 3.4 percent in 2025 and 5.5 percent in 2026, which is faster than the OECD's average growth forecast for the global economy of 3.1 percent in 2025 and three percent in 2026. The OECD's growth forecast for the current year is lower than the Bank of Israel's projection of four percent and the Israel Finance Ministry's 4.4 percent. However, the OECD expects Israel's economy to rebound this year although it is pessimistic about the pace of growth, citing the risk of war-related spending that continues to take a toll on the country's finances. The 2023 US News & World Report ranked Israel among the world's 10 most powerful countries. It found the Israeli military the fourth strongest globally, behind only the US, China and Russia. The Report said Israel is also the world's sixth most politically influential power. It should be noted that Israel's bid to become a leading global economic and military power are multifaceted. They include strengthening of the country's high-tech sector, continuous innovation in defence technology, and fostering a robust economy. Several multinational corporations are setting up R&D centres in the country. It has a vibrant startup ecosystem, which attracts both local and international investment, and fosters innovation. Israel has a well-established and highly innovative defence manufacturing industry, developing advanced weaponry and technology. The country is a significant exporter of defence equipment. Israel wants to end the Gaza war as early as possible to concentrate on the country's economic development. In his first press conference of the year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that by the end of the current war, the entire Gaza strip would be under Israeli security control. Interestingly, Palestinians in the southern Gaza region have lately taken to the streets to protest against Hamas. Those Gaza-based Palestinian demonstrators were seen in videos posted on social media calling for an end to the war and for the removal of the armed group from Gaza. 'Out! Out! Out! All of Hamas, out!' they chanted. With the head of the Hamas armed wing, Mohammed Sinwar, killed in an Israeli strike last week, the Gaza war is most unlikely to last long. (IPA Service)
Gulf Today
4 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Man attacks Colorado crowd with firebombs, 8 injured
Eight people were injured on Sunday when a 45-year-old man yelled "Free Palestine" and threw incendiary devices into a crowd in Boulder, Colorado where a demonstration to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza was taking place, authorities said. Four women and four men between 52 and 88 years old were transported to hospitals, Boulder police said. Authorities had earlier put the count of the injured at six and said at least one of them was in a critical condition. "As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism," the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office, Mark Michalek, said. Michalek named the suspect as Mohamed Soliman, who was hospitalised shortly after the attack. Reuters could not immediately locate contact information for him or his family. Police tape cordons off the site of an attack that injured multiple people in Boulder. Photos: Reuters FBI Director Kash Patel also described the incident as a "targeted terror attack," and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said it appeared to be "a hate crime given the group that was targeted." Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said he did not believe anyone else was involved. "We're fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody," he said. The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district in the shadow of the University of Colorado, during an event organized by Run for Their Lives, an organisation devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized in the aftermath of Palestinian's 2023 attack on Israel. Policemen gather near the scene. In a statement, the group said the walks have been held every week since then for the hostages, "without any violent incidents until today." Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X he was shocked by the "terrible antisemitic terror attack," describing it as "pure antisemitism." The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the United States over Israel's war in Gaza, which has spurred both an increase in antisemitic hate crime as well as moves by conservative supporters of Israel led by President Donald Trump to brand pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic. His administration has detained protesters of the war without charge and cut off funding to elite US universities that have permitted such demonstrations. Reuters
Gulf Today
4 hours ago
- Gulf Today
‘Big beautiful bill' is a budget-busting boondoggle
Patricia Murphy, Tribune News Service Days before the House passed President Donald Trump's 'big beautiful bill,' Moody's Ratings agency had an ominous warning about the US economy. Because of America's recent history of running up huge debts and deficits, and no change in sight, 'the United States' fiscal performance is likely to deteriorate' relative to similar countries. As a part of that warning, Moody's downgraded the country's credit rating from its AAA score to AA1. Despite that red flag, House leaders forged ahead, passing their 10-year tax-and-spend plan, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, by a single vote. Unfortunately, the bill not only ignores Moody's debt warning, it looks more like one big, beautiful boondoggle. Included in the gargantuan bill are $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, more than $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, and other social programs, and significant boosts in spending for defense and immigration enforcement. Costs of some social programs, including food stamps, are also shifted to states by the House. My colleague Tia Mitchell reported this week that Georgia officials could now be on the hook for more than $800 million in food spending if the GOP bill goes through. Other states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare will absorb more of those costs, too. All of the cuts to social safety net programs came, in part, to help pay for the tax cuts in the bill, which are heavily weighted toward high-income earners. For example, the working-class tax breaks that Trump promised on the campaign trail, namely eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay, and car loan interest, will only last through the end of Trump's term in 2028. But the income tax cuts, including for the richest Americans, as well as tax breaks for estates and investment income all become permanent. The House also stuffed loads of perks for special interests into the 1,100-page bill. One measure bans states from passing new regulations on artificial intelligence for 10 years. So if Georgia lawmakers decide they want to limit the use of AI in Georgia classrooms, like they did with cellphones this year, the Big Beautiful Bill Act would stop that until 2036. It would also mean Georgia lawmakers could not pass SB 9, a bill to ban deepfakes in political ads, which passed the state House and Senate earlier this year, but did not get to final passage. A different measure, this one for gun dealers, was put into the bill by Georgia's U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde. The Republican from Athens owns two large gun stores, which both sell gun silencers. Clyde flipped from a 'no' to a 'yes' after the $200 tax on silencers was eliminated, at a cost of $1.4 billion. 'My Democrat colleagues have asked, 'How did it get in the bill, what was in the deal and who asked for it?'' Clyde said during the House debate. 'No deal. I believe (Speaker Mike Johnson) with the purest of motives wanted to restore a constitutional right. Who asked? Me, I asked.' Of all of the special interests in the bill, the most special of all seems to be Trump himself. The bill mentions Trump's name 52 times. It also creates new $1,000 savings accounts for babies born during Trump's second term called 'Trump Accounts.' It even has language to make it harder for federal courts to enforce injunctions against executive branch officials, a lot like the injunctions Trump has run into as he tries to expand his own powers in the White House. Every spending bill is a political document, of course, and a Republican Congress cutting taxes and rolling back Biden-era climate measures is no surprise. But what is a surprise is the bill's price tag, $3.94 trillion, which will all get piled onto the nation's $36 trillion debt that Moody's just warned about. For every tax cut and spending measure that may be a good idea on its merits, it's all getting paid for with more borrowed money. It's a long way from the Tea Party movement, which exploded onto the scene in 2009 after Congress passed big bailouts for banks following the 2008 financial crisis. The national debt then was $13 trillion, one third of what it is today. Republicans then promised they would finally tackle the debt and the deficit. This bill does the opposite. Even Elon Musk, the mastermind of the Department of Government Efficiency, said so on his last day as a government employee this week, adding that the bill 'undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.' 'It can be big or beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both,' he said. If I was a House Republican at the beginning of this year, I had one job — to reduce the debt and deficit. With Trump in the White House, Republicans in control of Congress, and Musk promising to modernize and remake the federal government, the House bill was supposed to be the vehicle for all of that to happen. Instead, they just passed one big, beautiful boondoggle.
