Israeli media mocks Trump's proposal to "clean out" Gaza

By lauraharris // 2025-01-31

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President Donald Trump suggested forcibly relocating the Palestinian population in Gaza to Jordan and Egypt, describing Gaza as a "demolition site" in need of "cleaning out."
Israeli journalists and commentators, including Haaretz's editorial board and columnists Chaim Levinson and Zvi Bar'el, harshly criticized the proposal, dismissing it as unrealistic and impractical, given the political constraints and historical reluctance of Arab nations to accept large numbers of Palestinian refugees.
Middle East Eye reported that such a mass relocation would be illegal under international humanitarian and criminal law, as stated by international law expert Ardi Imseis.
The international community views Trump's suggestion as a radical and potentially dangerous approach to resolving the Gaza crisis, questioning its feasibility and morality.
Some Israeli politicians praised the proposal. For instance, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called it "wonderful," while former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir congratulated Trump on the initiative on social media. These reactions highlight a divergence between the broader international and Israeli media perspectives on the issue.

Prominent Israeli journalists and commentators have responded with biting criticism against President Donald Trump's recent suggestion to "clean out" Gaza and forcibly transfer the Palestinian population to Jordan and Egypt. On Jan. 25, Trump proposed a solution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, describing the Palestinian enclave as a "demolition site." He suggested the idea of forcibly relocating the population, estimated at around 1.5 million, to neighboring Arab countries, with Egypt and Jordan being the primary destinations. (Related: Israel's deadly strikes continue despite ceasefire deal, raising doubts about lasting peace.) Trump even thanked King Abdullah of Jordan for previously accepting Palestinian refugees, expressing his wish for the kingdom to take on more refugees from Gaza. However, the proposal, which was made just days after a ceasefire in Gaza, has faced immediate backlash and ridicule from Israeli media outlets and legal experts. For instance, Haaretz, Israel's newspaper of record, issued a harsh editorial on Jan. 27. The newspaper described Gaza as the "home" of over two million Palestinians, so the editorial board ridiculed the proposal and suggested that Trump's vision is more akin to launching Palestinians "voluntarily" into space. Chaim Levinson, a columnist at Haaretz, dismissed the proposal as unrealistic, noting that after consulting with officials in Israel and neighboring countries, there is no concrete plan in place. He pointed out that Arab nations have historically been wary of accepting large numbers of Palestinian refugees. Zvi Bar'el, another columnist at the news outlet, emphasized the political constraints Jordan faces in accepting more Palestinians, citing King Abdullah's September address at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, where he explicitly ruled out Jordan becoming an "alternative homeland" for Palestinians. Meanwhile, Middle East Eye reported that the proposal would be a violation of international law. Ardi Imseis, a professor of international law and former UN official, said such a mass relocation would be illegal under international humanitarian and criminal law. "President Trump's desire to 'relocate' Palestinians en masse from the occupied Gaza Strip is as illegal as it is wishful," he said. "Under international humanitarian law and international criminal law, individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the occupying power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of their motive," he said.

Israeli politicians praise Trump for suggesting Gaza "clean out"

The international community remains skeptical of the feasibility and morality of Trump's suggestion, with many experts viewing it as a radical and potentially dangerous approach to resolving the Gaza crisis. However, Israeli politicians reacted differently. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the idea of finding new homes for Gaza residents "wonderful," telling Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, "Only out-of-the-box thinking and new solutions will bring peace and security." Similarly, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who resigned as national security minister after Prime Minister Netanyahu's government voted to accept the ceasefire agreement, congratulated Trump on the initiative in a post on X. "I commend U.S. President Trump for the initiative to transfer residents from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt," Gvir wrote. "One of our demands from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to promote voluntary emigration. When the president of the world’s greatest superpower, Trump, personally brings up this idea, it is worth the Israeli government implementing it – promote emigration now!" Head over to IsraelCollapse.com for more updates on the ongoing ceasefire negotiations. Watch the video below that reports about 90 people killed on Jan. 2 due to Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip.

This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

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Israeli politicians praise Trump for suggesting Gaza "clean out"

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