The world is witnessing yet another chapter in the Trump administration’s reckless approach to foreign policy. This time, the target is Gaza, and the rhetoric is as outrageous as it is dangerous. President Trump’s recent statements about expelling Palestinians from their homeland and transforming Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East” are not only absurd but also blatant endorsements of war crimes and ethnic cleansing. How did we get here?

From the very beginning, the Trump administration has relied on Steve Bannon’s strategy of “flooding the zone” – overwhelming opponents with a barrage of actionsand statements that are difficult to keep up with. This tactic, designed to paralyze opposition, has now extended beyond domestic politics to the global stage. Trump’s record-breaking number of Executive Orders, delivered at “muzzle velocity,” as Bannon once described, has left the world reeling.  He is acting like a bull in a china store. 

But this strategy isn’t just about overwhelming opponents; it’s about normalizing the absurd. Whether it’s proposing to acquire Greenland, threatening to take back the Panama Canal, or suggesting that Canada become the 51st state, Trump’s ideas often sound like they belong in a schoolyard rather than the Oval Office. And now, Gaza is in the crosshairs.

Trump’s latest proposal is perhaps his most outrageous yet. He has called for the expulsion of 2.2 million Palestinians from Gaza, relocating them to “parcels of land” in Jordan and Egypt, or in colonial speak, live on “reservations.”  To add insult to injury, he claims that Palestinians would receive “much better housing” in these neighboring countries, as if they are mere commodities to be traded and relocated at will.  Thomas Friedman summed it up, “I can say with confidence that Trump’s proposal is the single most idiotic and dangerous Middle East “peace” initiative ever put out by an American president.”

This isn’t just impractical; it’s inhumane. Gaza’s population includes over 70% refugees who were forcibly displaced from their homes in historical Palestine during the Nakba of 1948 and the Naksa of 1967. These people have already endured unimaginable suffering. Over the past 15 months alone, more than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed, and 110,000 injured, mostly women and children. Gaza’s infrastructure, healthcare system, educational institutions, and religious sites have been systematically destroyed. And now, Trump wants to add mass expulsion to their list of tragedies?

Adding fuel to the fire, indicted war criminal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has suggested that Saudi Arabia establish a Palestinian state on its own land. The Saudi response was swift and unequivocal: “This extremist, occupying mentality does not understand what Palestinian land means to the brotherly people of Palestine.” Indeed, the suggestion underscores a fundamental disregard for Palestinian rights and dignity.

The Saudis are right. This isn’t just about land; it’s about justice. Palestinians are not illegal immigrants to be deported or relocated. They are a people with deep historical and cultural ties to their homeland. The homes Israel has demolished are theirs, and they have every right to rebuild them.

If we’re going to entertain absurd proposals, let’s take Trump’s logic to its natural conclusion. According to some estimates, nearly 3 million Israelis hold U.S. citizenship. Why not relocate them to the United States? Palm Beach County, home to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, is 14 times the size of Gaza and has a population of 1.5 million. It could easily accommodate these American-Israelis, along with the nearly 1 million illegal settlers in the West Bank.

This suggestion may sound crazy, but is it any crazier than Trump’s plan to expel Palestinians? At least it has the benefit of addressing the root cause of the problem: the illegal occupation of Palestinian land.

Trump’s proposals are not just impractical; they are morally reprehensible. They promote mass expulsion, ethnic cleansing, and the erasure of Palestinian identity. The devastation in Gaza is not just the result of Israeli aggression but also the complicity of the United States, which has provided all the bombs dropped on Gaza providing unwavering support to this criminal occupation.

The solution to this crisis is not to strong-arm Jordan, Egypt, or any other country into accepting displaced Palestinians. The solution is to end the occupation and uphold international law. Palestinians have made it clear: “Never Again” is not just a slogan; it’s a way of life. The Nakba and Naksa will not be repeated.

Trump’s rhetoric is not just dangerous; it’s a reflection of a broader disregard for Palestinian rights and humanity. The world must reject these absurd and harmful proposals and stand firmly with the Palestinian people in their struggle for justice, dignity, and self-determination.

Palestinians are not pawns to be moved around at the whims of powerful leaders. They are a resilient people with deep roots in their land. They will rebuild, and they will continue to resist until justice is served, and Palestine is free.