Israel and Gaza after the Ceasefire. What’s next?

Breakfast with Bwana

By Anil Madan

The UN reports that 90% of Gaza residents have been displaced and forced to move repeatedly since the October 7 attack by Hamas in Israel. As well, some 60% of buildings including schools and hospitals, and 92% of homes have been damaged or destroyed.

Almost exactly one year before the end of President Biden’s term as President, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made clear to the Israeli government that Palestinians must be allowed to return to their homes in Gaza “as soon as conditions allow” and must not be displaced from the strip, the top US diplomat said Tuesday.

Just one week after his inauguration, President Donald Trump revealed that he broached the idea with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, about moving more than one million Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt. Trump’s idea apparently involves constructing temporary housing for the Gazans, though he acknowledged it could become long-term. He disclosed that he asked the King to take in more Palestinians. “I said to him that I’d love you to take on more, because I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now and it’s a mess, it’s a real mess.”

At first blush, it might appear that Trump is suggesting that Gazans need to be housed temporarily while their homes are rebuilt for their eventual return. But this is not entirely clear. Trump, adverted to the centuries-long conflicts in the region, and added: “You’re talking about a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing. I don’t know, something has to happen, but it’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there, so I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing in a different location where I think they could maybe live in peace for a change.”

The idea that Gazans might live in peace away from Gaza certainly suggests an end to any notion of a two-state solution that might include Gaza.

Jordan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi dismissed the idea, affirming Jordan’s commitment to “ensuring that Palestinians remain on their land.” He emphasized, “Our refusal of displacement is a steadfast position that will not change. Jordan is for Jordanians, and Palestine is for Palestinians.”

Likewise, Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected displacement of Palestinians through forced eviction. The ministry’s statement went on to state: “Such actions threaten stability, risk extending the conflict further in the region, and undermine opportunities for peace and coexistence.”

Notably, Ayman Safadi reiterated Jordan’s “firm and unchanging” position favouring a two-state solution and the Egyptian Foreign Ministry appealed to the international community to support efforts toward achieving a two-state solution.

So, what exactly is Trump up to? It is difficult to draw firm conclusions, but CNN reports that an Israeli analyst cited Israeli officials and reported Trump’s move was “not a slip of the tongue but part of a much broader move than it seems, coordinated with Israel.” CNN claims that a second source confirmed the reporting but gave no further details.

The logistics of reconstructing Gaza are formidable. Last week, I exchanged messages with an engineer about the Herculean task of reconstructing the thousands of buildings that were destroyed by wildfires in Los Angeles. In one message he wrote that there are no landfills near Malibu big enough to handle the debris that has to be removed. He expects that the Army Corps of Engineers will be handling most of the debris removal when a suitable landfill can be found. He estimates that rebuilding will take 15-30 years.Read More… Become a Subscriber


Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 31 January 2025

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