NEW YORK POST
A broad group of Arab nations on Saturday rejected an idea floated by President Trump for Gazans to be moved to Egypt and Jordan, saying in a joint statement that such a plan risked further expanding the conflict in the Middle East.
The statement, signed by Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, did not refer to Mr. Trump’s comments explicitly but warned that any plan that encouraged the “transfer or uprooting of Palestinians from their land” would threaten stability in the region and “undermine the chances of peace and coexistence among its people.”
In recent days, Mr. Trump has suggested on multiple occasions that more Gazans should be evacuated from the enclave and taken in by Jordan and Egypt.
The far right in Israel has made similar calls for Palestinians to leave the territory.
“You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing,” Mr. Trump said of Gaza last weekend. “I don’t know. Something has to happen, but it’s literally a demolition site right now.”
He said Palestinians could be in Jordan and Egypt “temporarily, or could be long-term.” It was unclear from Mr. Trump’s comments whether he was suggesting that the entire population of Gaza — more than two million people — should leave.
For Palestinians, even the suggestion of such a mass exile evokes painful historical memories: Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced to neighboring countries during the war surrounding Israel’s 1948 establishment. After they left, Israel did not allow them to return and many are still formally considered refugees.
Egypt and Jordan immediately spurned Mr. Trump’s call. Both countries have longstanding peace treaties with Israel and support a Palestinian state but also fear that a large influx of Palestinians who would remain indefinitely could stir domestic upheaval…
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