Trump and Netanyahu plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza

Department of Research, Studies and International News 09-07-2025

In a move that underscores the enduring alliance between Washington and Tel Aviv at the expense of Palestinian rights, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former U.S. President Donald Trump met this week in Washington to discuss a proposal that many have described as blatant ethnic cleansing: the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza to foreign countries.

The meeting, held in the Blue Room of the White House, coincided with indirect negotiations in Qatar between Palestinian resistance factions and the Israeli regime, as efforts continue, under American mediation, to broker a temporary 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. Yet while ceasefire discussions are ongoing, Netanyahu and Trump appear to be advocating for a long-term strategy that many fear could radically alter the demographic and political landscape of Palestine.

Speaking to reporters, Netanyahu painted the proposal as a humanitarian gesture. “If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. It shouldn’t be a prison,” he said, as though Gaza, suffocated by a 17-year siege, daily air raids, and a crumbling health infrastructure, offered anything close to free choice. He went on to suggest that the United States and Israel were in active talks with other governments to facilitate the resettlement of Palestinians abroad.

Trump, for his part, echoed Netanyahu’s sentiments, claiming “great cooperation” from surrounding countries and hinting optimistically that “something good will happen.” This follows his earlier remarks floating the fantastical idea of transforming Gaza into a so-called “Middle Eastern Riviera,” as if the territory’s suffering could be erased through commercial gentrification and strategic displacement.

Legal scholars and human rights advocates have swiftly condemned the proposal. According to Ralph Wilde, an expert on international law, any form of forced transfer, whether within Gaza or beyond, is a violation of international legal standards and constitutes a war crime. “Israel’s very presence in Gaza and the West Bank is illegal. Therefore, all its actions there, including the planned displacements, are also illegal,” Wilde said in comments to Al Jazeera.

Moreover, Wilde emphasized that such displacement policies fall under the category of crimes against humanity and may even amount to genocide. “These actions aim to impose conditions calculated to destroy the Palestinian people in whole or in part,” he added.

Former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas also criticized the idea, calling it “a recipe for catastrophe.” He pointed out that many of these so-called proposals are impulsively stated by political leaders without any real, detailed planning behind them. “Just because the Israeli prime minister or the U.S. president throws an idea into the air doesn’t mean it’s actionable, or legal,” Pinkas said.

Notably, this plan is being promoted against the backdrop of ongoing hostilities and a failed ceasefire deal. The indirect talks in Doha, attended by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, have so far failed to yield concrete results. While Hamas has expressed willingness to exchange all hostages for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, Netanyahu remains rigid, demanding Hamas disarm, surrender, and go into exile, conditions that the Palestinian resistance has categorically rejected.

Meanwhile, the former U.S. president appears more interested in public relations optics than in real diplomacy. During the dinner, Netanyahu presented Trump with a letter nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize, an act clearly staged for media consumption. Trump, who has long coveted international recognition for his erratic and often destabilizing foreign policies, welcomed the nomination with visible satisfaction.

It’s worth recalling that Trump recently greenlighted U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in direct coordination with Israeli airstrikes, escalating an already volatile situation in the region before pulling back and declaring a ceasefire. This type of brinkmanship, paired with grandiose gestures like Nobel nominations, reveals a dangerous preference for theatrics over genuine peacebuilding.

The joint push by Trump and Netanyahu to force Palestinians out of Gaza under the guise of humanitarian concern should be understood for what it is: a strategic effort to dissolve Palestinian claims to their own homeland. It reflects a broader imperial mindset, where powerful states, backed by military dominance, dictate the fate of oppressed peoples.

With the international legal community sounding the alarm and grassroots movements continuing to resist, the world is left to choose: either endorse this criminal vision of forced displacement, or stand firmly against it, and in solidarity with the rights of the Palestinian people to remain, resist, and reclaim their land.