Israeli minister says Trump plan to relocate Gazans is ‘only solution’

Trump is pressuring Egypt and Jordan to accept large numbers of refugees from the Gaza Strip.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that he plans to implement U.S. President Donald Trump’s emigration plan for Gaza.

Trump is pressuring Egypt and Jordan to accept large numbers of refugees from the Gaza Strip, suggesting that the move could be either temporary or permanent.

Smotrich said, “Gaza is a breeding ground for violence that causes suffering for both the people of Israel and the residents of Gaza.”

He explained that Arab states have allowed the Gaza issue to fester, using it as a “weapon” against Israel.

Smotrich added, “It is clear that, in the long term, promoting emigration is the only solution that can bring peace and security to the people of Israel while also easing the suffering of Gaza’s Arab residents.”

“I am working together with the Prime Minister and the cabinet to develop an operational plan and ensure that President Trump’s vision is brought to fruition,” Smotrich said.

Although Egypt and Jordan have rejected the plan, Smotrich dismissed their response as “feeble opposition” and expressed confidence that Trump could pressure the countries into agreeing.

Smotrich said, “We saw yesterday how Trump led a move against Colombia to expel migrants despite its opposition. When he wants something to happen, it happens.”

Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump described the war-torn coastal enclave as “a real mess” and said he expected Jordan and Egypt to take in the bulk of Gaza’s population, which numbers around 2.2 million people.

In discussing his phone call with Jordanian King Abdullah II on Saturday, Trump said he hopes the monarch will “take people” into his kingdom.

“I said to him, ‘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.’ I’d like him to take people.”

Trump also mentioned his upcoming call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, scheduled for Sunday, saying he has a similar message for Cairo, hoping to secure refuge for around 1.5 million Gazans.