US president suggests relocating Gazans to Egypt, Jordan for safer living conditions

US President Donald Trump has reiterated his proposal for Egypt and Jordan to absorb Palestinians from Gaza, arguing that they would be better off in regions not "associated with violence."

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “I’d like to get them living in an area where they can live without disruption and revolution and violence," Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Trump went on to highlight the ongoing challenges in Gaza, describing the region as having been in turmoil for centuries. “When you look at the Gaza Strip, it’s been hell for so many years… There have been various civilizations on that strip. It didn’t start here. It started thousands of years before, and there’s always been violence associated with it. You could get people living in areas that are a lot safer and maybe a lot better and maybe a lot more comfortable,” he added.

The president’s stance raised questions about his views on a two-state solution, to which Trump responded by avoiding a direct answer. Instead, he mentioned his upcoming discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I’ll be discussing the issue with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he comes to Washington to meet him ‘in the not so distant future.’ A date will be set for the meeting ‘very soon,’” Trump stated.

Sources familiar with the matter said that Netanyahu is planning a trip to Washington on February 2, where he is expected to meet with Trump at the beginning of the week before returning to Israel. However, the trip is contingent on Netanyahu's health recovery after undergoing surgery.

When asked about Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s reaction to the proposal, Trump remarked, “His response [was] that he’d like to see peace in the Middle East.” Trump added, “I’d like to see peace in the Middle East.”

Pressed further on how Sissi responded to the idea of relocating Gazans, Trump insisted that both Egyptian President Sissi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II would be open to the plan.

“I’d love to do that. I wish [Sissi] would take some. We helped them a lot, and I’m sure he’d help us. He’s a friend of mine. He’s in… a rough neighborhood. But I think he would do it, and I think the King of Jordan would do it too,” Trump said.

Despite Trump’s comments, both Egypt and Jordan have rejected the idea of relocating Palestinians, affirming their stance that Palestinians should remain in Gaza. Additionally, members of Israel’s far-right have proposed the reestablishment of settlements in Gaza and have advocated for the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from the enclave.

By Vafa Guliyeva