Israeli far-right minister backs Trump's proposal of relocating Palestinians to "clean out" Gaza

US President Donald Trump revealed that he had already held initial talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II over the possibility of building housing for the relocation of over 1 million Palestinians from Gaza to neighbouring Arab countries.

Trump claims that he urged King Abdullah II, a vital US ally in the region, to consider accommodating additional Palestinians during their phone call, Caliber.Az reports citing US media.

“I said to him that I’d love you to take on more, because I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now and it’s a mess, it’s a real mess,” Trump told reporters while aboard the Air Force One plane.

Jordan’s state news agency, Petra, confirmed the call between the leaders held on January 25 but did not mention this issue in their conversation description. The kingdom already hosts over 2.39 million registered Palestinian refugees, according to the UN, the majority of which has settled there prior to the current escalations.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a prominent figure in the far-right bloc of Israel’s government, welcomed Trump’s suggestion of relocating Palestinians from Gaza.

“For years, politicians have proposed impractical solutions like dividing the land and establishing a Palestinian state, which endangered the existence and security of the world’s only Jewish state, leading only to bloodshed and suffering for many. Only out-of-the-box thinking and new solutions will bring about peace and security,” Smotrich stated on his official X page.

He further pledged to collaborate with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the cabinet to "develop an operational plan to implement this as soon as possible."

According to Trump's statement, the housing could be either “temporary” or “long-term,” pointing to a stark contrast from decades of US foreign policy that has traditionally supported a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, which has so far not yielded any results.

Trump also expressed a desire for Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, to house people and mentioned plans to discuss this issue with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on January 26.

“You’re talking about a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing,” Trump said, referencing the situation in Gaza and noting the longstanding conflicts in the region.

This proposal echoes similar ideas previously raised by Israel to temporarily relocate Gaza’s population while Israeli forces dismantle Hamas militants and infrastructure. Such proposals have faced widespread condemnation from Palestinians and neighboring Arab nations.

By Nazrin Sadigova