President Trump’s call to move the population in Gaza to Egypt, Jordan, and other countries is a winning strategy. He is the first president to finally come up with a realistic and humane solution to one of the world’s greatest and most vexing problems.
The Arab world, with all its riches and oil wealth, has purposefully kept Gaza poor, underdeveloped, and a hotbed of Muslim hatred of Israel and the West, for their own selfish reasons. Had the money that was poured into Gaza for the building of tunnels and weaponry to attack Israel been used for peaceful purposes, we would not be having this discussion. The Arab nations have used Gaza to divert the media and the international community from focusing on their own problems and to keep an inordinate amount of pressure on Israel.
The 2005 Disengagement Plan devised by Ariel Sharon removed 22 Jewish communities from Gaza with the thought that that would enable Gazans to be interested in economic development rather than the destruction of Israel. The opposite occurred. Gazans were more obsessed than ever with wiping Israel off the map than they were in building beautiful farms and industry.
In 2006, President Bush tried to bring Democracy to Gaza by holding elections. Hamas was elected by a majority vote. This completely radicalized Gaza. It turned it from a simmering pot to a burning cauldron. Israel had to go to war in Gaza in varying degrees in 2008-2009, 2012, 2014, and 2021. Then October 7 happened. This completely changed the dynamics, the Israeli attitude, and the narrative of the Middle East. The massacre, atrocities, rapes, and kidnappings made it clear the situation in Gaza was non-sustainable. The goal was simple: October 7 could never happen again. Israel seriously degraded Hamas and its leadership, but as all the photos from the recent release of hostages attests, Hamas is far from being decimated. Many of those killed have been or are being replaced by younger recruits. The youth of Gaza have been indoctrinated from very early on to hate Israel and the Jews. The influx of murderers with multiple life sentences released by Israel into Gaza in exchange for the hostages has only exacerbated the situation. With well over 70% of the Gazan population actively supporting Hamas both politically and militarily, there is no alternative to bring stability except to do as President Trump has suggested to move out the population from Gaza to countries like Egypt and Jordan who receive billions of dollars of U.S. aid.
In a previous article, I called it the “Gaza Buyout” (July 7, 2024). Well over 100,000 Gazans have already left. The number is probably at least double that. The number of Gazans who now live in Gaza is certainly not more than 1.5 million, and more likely is closer to one million. Moving populations is not easy, but to give some perspective (I’m not at all comparing the situations; I’m only trying to show numbers), 6 million Ukrainians left Ukraine after the Russian invasion of Feb. 24, 2022. Germany took in 1.2 million. Poland took in 958,000. The United States took in 236,000, and the United Kingdom 242,000.
America gives $1.5 billion annually to Egypt, and $1.65 billion annually to Jordan. It has given Yemen $5.9 billion since 2014. It gives Turkey $100 million annually for humanitarian purposes, and at least another $100 million in military assistance. America gives Indonesia $100 million annually. Between just these countries, the Gazan population can be readily relocated. Most Gazans would welcome the opportunity.
President Trump is the only world leader who could actually make this happen. It is a win all the way around. Gaza would no longer be a festering sore. It can become an agricultural paradise. Israel would longer worry about another Hamas invasion from Gaza. The Middle East would be stabilized. The world safer. It is a winning strategy. It should be implemented as soon as possible.
Joseph M. Frager is a physician and lifelong activist.
