By Sue Harris
February 20, 2025
In a meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan in the Oval Office, Trump said to the camera: “The U.S. won’t have to buy Gaza. We will take it. We won’t buy it; we’re going to take it, hold it, cherish it. … Nobody’s going to question it.” (ABC News, Feb. 13.) His statement was a follow-up to his similar announcement earlier at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where Trump called for the removal of Palestinians from Gaza.
Protest on Egypt side of Rafah crossing to Gaza. ‘No removal, no to Trump’s plan!’
Trump’s arrogant plan sent shock waves through West Asia. According to a Feb. 14 report on ABC News: “Despite President Donald Trump’s push for the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza — a move that, if carried out, would be a violation of international law that some experts and U.S. allies have called ethnic cleansing — he is facing significant pushback from allies and states in the region.”
Various Arab countries in the region — not just those who have actively supported the Palestinian Resistance but also those who are client states of U.S. imperialism like Jordan and Saudi Arabia — have made clear their reaction to Trump’s threat. The truth is that no Arab leader could publicly support a plan like Trump’s without arousing fierce opposition from the people of their country.
King Abdullah II of Jordan said, “This is the unified Arab position: Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all.” (ABC News, Feb. 14)
Saudi Arabia’s prime minister, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, said that Saudi Arabia was deeply committed to the establishment of a Palestinian state on Palestinian land.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was supposed to visit the U.S., but postponed his trip indefinitely. Al-Sisi refused to attend any White House talks if the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza is on the agenda.
From Yemen, whose government has blocked sea lanes in solidarity with Gaza: “Today, in response to the call of Sayyed Abdulmalek Badreddine Al-Houthi, a massive human flood of millions gathered in Al-Sabeen Square in the capital, Sana’a, in support of the Palestinian people under the slogan: ‘On the Promise with Gaza — Against Displacement, Against All Conspiracies,’ affirming steadfastness in the face of American-zionist threats to resume aggression and displace the Palestinian people.” (Resistance News Network, Feb. 14)
The Gulf Cooperation Council — consisting of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — sends financial aid to Palestine. They have already given $650 million collectively in humanitarian aid to Gaza and the West bank since October 2023. They state that the proposed reconstruction of Gaza will cost a great deal more.
The only public voice conciliatory so far to Trump’s plan has come from the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is a federation of seven monarchies, and only 11% of its 11 million people are citizens — the rest are expatriates, mostly workers from South Asia.
Palestinians say, ‘No!’
The most important Arab reaction comes from the Palestinians themselves. It’s important to recognize the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, which nearly all governments do except those of Israel and the United States. Even after 17 months of bombing, they have already returned to the ashes that remain of their homes in northern Gaza. Millions of people refuse to leave Gaza.
According to the Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas: “We say to the entire world: No migration except to Al-Quds [Jerusalem]. This is our response to all calls for displacement and liquidation made by Trump and those who support his colonial and occupation agenda. …
“We affirm that the unity of our people and resistance is capable of thwarting all displacement plans, just as it has defeated previous occupation schemes.” (Resistance News Network, Feb. 15)
