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In addition to previously disclosed outreach to Somalia, Somaliland and Sudan about potentially resettling Palestinians from Gaza, the United States is also exploring the option of transferring Palestinians to Syria, CBS News reported Monday afternoon.
According to the CBS report, the Trump administration attempted to approach Syria’s new government through a third party. However, it remains unclear whether there has been any response from Damascus. A Syrian official denied receiving any such request.
Meanwhile, Sky News Arabia reported that the Trump administration has given preliminary approval to Egypt’s proposal for post-war Gaza, a plan that has gained backing from several Arab and European countries. According to the report, the U.S. is pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to the formation of a Palestinian “technocratic committee” to govern Gaza with Arab and international support. Washington has tied its support for the plan to the removal of Hamas from power and its disarmament, and has consulted with Egypt on the feasibility of eliminating Hamas from Gaza’s political and administrative landscape.
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Displaced refugees return to northern Gaza
(Photos: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP, Evan Vucci/AP)
CBS, citing three sources familiar with the discussions, reported that relocating Palestinians to other countries is one of several ideas the Trump team is considering to end the war between Israel and Hamas and to facilitate Gaza’s reconstruction.
President Trump stated during a meeting on Wednesday with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin that “no one is deporting Palestinians,” responding to a question about his controversial remarks the previous month. At the time, Trump had proposed during a White House meeting with Netanyahu that the U.S. take control of Gaza and rebuild it. Trump had also suggested Gaza could become the “Riviera of the Middle East" and emphasized the need to “end the death and destruction” there.
Two diplomatic sources told CBS that Israeli and U.S. officials have already approached Somalia and Sudan about absorbing Palestinians. One source noted that Trump’s remarks have increased Israel’s motivation to engage other nations in discussions about taking in Gazans.
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Somalia’s ambassador to the U.S., Dahir Hassan, told CBS that neither the U.S. administration nor Israel has made any formal approach to the Somali government about accepting Palestinians. He warned that spreading unverified information of this kind could increase recruitment efforts by extremist groups such as ISIS and Al-Shabaab, endangering regional security. The Sudanese government has not responded to the report.
Syria’s new government, led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, also known as Mohammed al-Jolani, has been in power for only three months, following the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime to rebel forces. Sudan, meanwhile, remains mired in a civil war and faces a severe refugee and famine crisis. Over the past two decades, tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees have sought asylum in Israel, with many detained in immigration facilities or living without official status.
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Trump in meeting with Irish PM: Trump: 'Nobody is expelling Palestinians'
(Photo: Reuters )
Since his February 4 joint press conference with Netanyahu, Trump has stated that Palestinians will have a choice whether to leave Gaza, though he has also suggested that such departures could be permanent. In an interview with Fox News days later, Trump said, “We’ll build beautiful communities, safe communities—five, six, maybe two. But we’ll build safe communities a little farther away from where they are now.” In the same interview, he asserted that Palestinians would not have the right to return to Gaza, claiming the territory is “uninhabitable” and will remain so for years.
Many Arab countries, the United Nations, and several Democratic lawmakers have condemned Trump’s Gaza proposal, with some labeling it “ethnic cleansing.” Last week, Arab leaders approved Egypt’s alternative plan to rehabilitate Gaza after the war. However, both the Trump administration and Israel swiftly rejected it, arguing that Gaza is no longer suitable for habitation.