Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump stated that the Gaza Strip should be cleared out and that the Gazans should move to, among other places, Egypt or Jordan. A statement that has not been well received among Palestinians and neighboring countries.
He will have a hard time finding buyers for this policy. There is no doubt about it, says Anders Persson.
The Refugee Issue is Crucial
Several million Palestinians are formally refugees in the Middle East and live in neighboring countries where they have limited rights.
The entire narrative around the refugee issue, return, and land is incredibly strong in Palestinian history. We see, for example, at the beginning of the week, how symbolic it was when Palestinians were allowed to return to northern Gaza, says Anders Persson.
A very large part of Gaza's population consists of refugees or descendants of refugees who were driven out or fled during the founding of the State of Israel.
Requires Voluntary Action
The proposal to move Gaza's inhabitants is not entirely inhumane, Persson believes. But the big question is whether the proposal is short- or long-term.
If one thinks about a six-month to one-year period and that the Gazans can then return to rebuilt homes, then it can be a humane solution – if it is voluntary.
But if the idea is that they should not return and that it is a permanent solution, then it is truly astonishing. I cannot recall any other American president having said anything similar, he adds.
But the idea of a two-state solution, which has been driven by American policy previously, is not dead, Persson believes.
Absolute not. Politicians can say a lot of different things in different contexts, in the end, it's all about what they do and not what they say.
Trump tends to come up with bombastic statements.
