By Joseph Frager, JNS
Had the money that was poured into the building of tunnels and weaponry to attack Israel been used for peaceful purposes, no one would be talking about relocating the population.
President Donald Trump’s call to move the Arab population in Gaza to Egypt, Jordan and other countries is a winning strategy. He is the first president to come up with a realistic and humane solution to one of the world’s greatest and most vexing problems.
The Arab world, with all its riches and oil wealth, has purposefully kept Gaza poor, underdeveloped and a hotbed of Muslim hatred of Israel and the West for its own selfish reasons. Had the money that was poured into Gaza for the building of tunnels and weaponry to attack Israel been used for peaceful purposes, no one would be talking about relocating the population.
The 2005 disengagement plan by then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon removed Jewish communities from Gaza with the thought that Palestinian Arabs there would be interested in economic development rather than the destruction of Israel. The opposite was true. Gazans were more obsessed with wiping Israel off the face of the earth than they were with building farms and industry. A year later, U.S. President George W. Bush tried to bring democracy to Gaza by supporting elections there. Hamas was elected by a majority vote, leading to a radicalized Gaza. The Strip went from a simmering pot to a burning cauldron.
Israel went to war in Gaza in varying degrees in 2008-2009, 2012, 2014 and 2021. Then came Oct. 7, 2023. This completely changed the dynamics, Israeli attitude and narrative of the Mideast. The massacre, atrocities, rapes and kidnappings made it clear the situation in Gaza was unsustainable. The message was clear: Oct. 7 could never happen again.
Israel has seriously degraded Hamas and its leadership. Yet as the photos from the hostage releases attest, Hamas is far from being decimated. Many of those killed have been or are being replaced by younger recruits. The youth of Gaza have been indoctrinated from a very early age to hate Israel and the Jews. The influx of murderers with multiple life sentences released by Israel into Gaza in exchange for the hostages has only exacerbated the situation. With more than 70% of the Gazan population actively supporting Hamas, both politically and militarily, there is no alternative to bring stability to the region except to do as Trump has suggested and move the population of Gaza to countries like Egypt and Jordan, which receive billions in U.S. aid.
It is estimated that 2 million people live in Gaza. Moving large populations like that is not easy, but it has been done before in other places. For instance, nearly 7 million Ukrainians left their homes after the Russian invasion in February 2022. Germany took in 1.2 million of the Ukrainian refugees. Poland took in 958,000, while the United States and the United Kingdom each took in more than 230,000 people.
Annually, America gives $1.5 billion to Egypt and $1.65 billion to Jordan. It has given Yemen $5.9 billion since 2014. Turkey receives $100 million in American funds for humanitarian purposes and at least another $100 million in military assistance. America also gives Indonesia $100 million annually. Between these few countries, the Gazan population can be readily relocated. Many Gazans would welcome the opportunity. Trump is the only world leader who could make this happen.
If it does come to fruition, then it would be a win all the way around. Gaza would no longer be a festering sore of hatred and could become an agricultural paradise or more. Israel would no longer have to worry about another Hamas invasion from its neighbor. A new path for Gaza would help stabilize the Middle East making the world safer. This is a winning strategy and should be implemented as soon as possible.
