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According to U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza, once fighting ends and Hamas’s military power is dismantled, the Strip would come under U.S. civilian administration, which would oversee its massive reconstruction.
To ensure the success of this effort — estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars—and to offer Gazans a better future, the U.S. government would encourage their emigration by all possible means. The plan has been met with widespread opposition, particularly in the Muslim world, but Trump remains committed to it — though it's doubtful he can fulfill it.
One of its most controversial aspects is the idea of turning the land where tens of thousands of Gazans were killed, often buried without graves, into a casino strip. This proposal is morally and politically indefensible — unlike the broader concept of offering Gazans an alternative home.
Could Trump change the overwhelmingly negative response to his plan and advance its implementation? Yes. To prove his seriousness, shift the narrative away from "transfer" and "displacement," and quell — or at least soften — the criticism, Trump should sign an executive order granting 500,000 Gazans immigration visas to the U.S.
He should make a binding declaration that the U.S. is ready to open its doors to half a million Palestinians from Gaza and call on other wealthy nations — Canada, New Zealand, Spain, Norway, the UAE, and others — to follow suit, each granting 200,000 visas. The visas would be distributed by lottery, without discrimination.
Such an order would be logical. First, it aligns with the ethical principle of "practice what you preach." Leading by example — especially on a national scale — is crucial for launching controversial historical processes. If the U.S. can absorb at least a third of Gaza’s population with ease, why should its president have to beg poorer nations to take in Palestinian refugees?
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Last year alone, 3.5 million people from neighboring countries migrated to the U.S., most without visas — let alone immigration permits. Moreover, if Gazans establish new lives in America while the U.S. governs Gaza for an extended period, they could eventually return as American citizens of Gazan origin, contribute to reconstruction and form the backbone of what Trump envisions as a "beautiful new Gaza."
Such a declaration would change the discourse. No longer would "displacement from the Palestinian homeland" be a talking point — especially since first-, second-, and even third-generation Palestinian refugees don’t view Gaza as their homeland but rather as a temporary transit camp — but rather a coveted migration opportunity to America, the land of dreams.
Calling the relocation of a Palestinian family from a tent in Gaza’s ruins to a new neighborhood in Arizona a "transfer" would be absurd. No serious political leader would dare urge Palestinians to reject the chance of a better future for themselves, their children and their grandchildren in favor of continued life in crumbling tents, dependent on international aid.
Sever PlockerPhoto: Yair SagiThis is the American option for Gaza’s refugees. The likelihood of its implementation under a Trump administration, which prioritized restricting immigration, is near zero — but without it, other elements of Gaza’s reconstruction plan are equally doomed and its hypocrisy is glaring.
No alternative practical plan exists — there's no international or Arab entity willing to take responsibility for governing and rebuilding Gaza. The black hole that is Gaza will only grow heavier and darker.