US, Israel consult African governments about hosting Gazans as part of mass displacement plan: AP

CAIRO – 14 March 2025: Washington and Tel Aviv have contacted officials from Sudan, Somalia, and the breakaway region of Somaliland as part of a US plan for the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, according to American and Israeli officials speaking to The Associated Press.

Officials from Sudan told the AP they have declined US overtures regarding the matter, while representatives from Somalia and Somaliland stated they are unaware of any relevant contacts.

US President Donald Trump has been advocating for a plan to permanently displace over 2 million Gazan Palestinians from their lands to "clean out" the enclave for long-term real estate development.

He revealed this proposal during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February, bringing global and Arab backlash.

The US president said Gaza has become "a demolition site" and arguing that it would be "inhumane" to force people to live there.

Trump stated that the US will "take over" and "own" Gaza, intending to turn it into "the Riviera of the Middle East."

The Palestinian Authority, Arab nations, and European countries have rejected this idea, emphasizing that Gaza is an integral part of a future Palestinian state under the two-state solution.

Advocacy groups condemned Trump’s proposal as promoting ethnic cleansing.

Israeli hardliner Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for "voluntary" emigration of Palestinians.

Smotrich recently mentioned that Israel is working to identify countries willing to accept Palestinians and asserted that Israel is preparing an emigration department within its Defense Ministry.

Trump's plan has seen varying tones since it was first unveiled; he first indicated intentions to relocate Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan but later said he will not impose his plan, asserting that he was surprised by Egypt’s and Jordan’s rejection.

Arab nations and much of the international community have reaffirmed their opposition to any initiatives involving the displacement of Palestinians from their lands.

The latest development occurred this week when Trump, during a press conference with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin from the Oval Office on Wednesday, asserted that “nobody is expelling any Palestinians,” in response to a reporter's question about his Gaza plan.

ARAB GAZA PLAN

Meanwhile, Arab nations have proposed a $53 billion early recovery and construction plan spanning five years, aimed at providing safe housing for Gazans and building essential services and infrastructure.

This plan, adopted by Arab leaders during an extraordinary summit in Cairo earlier in March, has received backing from the European Union and several European states.

Israel and the US responded immediately to the Arab plan stating they continue to support Trump’s proposal.

Foreign ministers from Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, along with Emirati minister of state for foreign affairs, presented the Arab plan to US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff during a meeting in Doha on Wednesday.

A joint Arab statement following the meeting noted their agreement to continue consultations on the Arab plan for Gaza as “a basis for reconstruction efforts” for the Strip.

The Israeli-US plans to relocate Palestinians and the Arab counter initiative to rebuild Gaza without displacement occur amidst an ongoing war that began on October 7, 2023, following Hamas attacks on Israeli cities.

This war, one of the deadliest of the century, has killed 48,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, displaced the majority of the population and pushed the enclave to the brink of famine.

The war is currently on hold due to a multi-phase ceasefire brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, which took effect on January 19.