Gaza can be shaken by winter winds today, letting the Palestinians snuggle up. But it is the unexpected explosion of US President Donald Trump who really makes them shake.
“I feel a lot of sadness and despair,” said Hala Abu Dabaa, 26, to the independent videographer of CBC, Mohamed El Saife. “He must know that we will not leave our country – simply remove this idea from his mind.”
Behind her, there were rubble to the horizon, the result of almost 16 months of war – Israeli air strikes and house fighting with Hamas activists.
This is the “demolition site” that Trump said on Tuesday that he wanted to join the “Middle East Riviera”, once he emptied Palestinians. He described the strip by the sea as the property developer he was. He wants the United States to be in a “long-term property position” in Gaza.
The comments were welcomed with a pleasant surprise in Israel.
But for the Palestinians like Hanan Al-Shhennawi, 22, it’s not just a field. This is what remains after the Nakba, or “disaster” in Arabic, which forced the generation of its grandparents to leave the territory which became Israel in 1948.
“And in the end, they only had regret,” said Al Shhennawi. She refuses to let this happen again.
Palestinians reject Trump’s idea
Getting away “erases the Palestinian cause,” said Taher al-Najjar, 30.
Israel rejects the accusation that the Palestinians were forcibly expelled, but the Palestinian perspective fueled a deep desire to go back, strong enough to encourage militant groups like Hamas to launch the attack on October 7, 2023 in Israel Who killed around 1,200 Israelis and saw some 250 taken hostage. The subsequent War of Israel in Gaza killed more than 47,000 Palestinians.
Hamas says Trump’s plan is a recipe for more violence.
The appellant “ridiculous and absurd”, the head of Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters “all the ideas of this kind are capable of triggering the region”.
There has also been a widespread conviction in the greater region, with flat refusals of Egypt and Jordan – the two countries that Trump should take the population of Gaza. Cairo said that it would support reconstruction, but without removing anyone.
Saudi Arabia said that would not normalize diplomatic and economic relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state, contradicting Trump’s claim that the country did not make such a request. In Riyadh, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman had confirmed this position in “clear and explicit” way.
The new relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia was presented by Trump officials as a Mega-Deal who would bring peace to the region.
Little doubts in Israel
However, in Israel, there seems to be few doubts about Trump’s plan.
“It’s too good to be true,” said a smiling Brook at CBC News in a rain street in Jerusalem. “But it’s a beautiful dream.”
Some share Trump’s dream to develop the territory, injecting what Sean Sharliv calls “Western values - as in businesses, real estate, tourism”.
The plan of President Donald Trump for the United States to resume Gaza torn by the war and to create a “ riviera du Middle East ” after reinstalled the Palestinians elsewhere has aroused many criticisms, Palestinians in the United States allies From Saudi Arabia to members of the United Nations Security Council.
But for the most part, it is considered a way to guarantee the security of Israel, preventing future attacks.
“I don’t want Gaza, I want peace,” said a man who gave his first name, Amit. He said that the Palestinians can live there, but that the military force of Israel or America must keep order.
Most Israelis welcome Trump’s proposal
There are strong voices in Israel who want Gaza for themselves. This includes far-right groups like the Jewish Power Party, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, which was part of the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of National Security, until he resigned For the acceptance by Israel of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
Many of his supporters are settlers and understand those who want to establish Jewish communities in Gaza.
Today on social networks, he published a message To Trump, saying “Donald, it looks like a great friendship at the beginning”. Ben-gir said “The only solution” was to “encourage” the migration of the Gazans.
But even some moderate voices in Israel seem to welcome Trump’s proposal.
Benny Gantz is a centrist and former general politician who many consider a less extreme alternative to Netanyahu and his coalition. He said Trump’s plan showed “a creative, original and intriguing thought” and should be studied.
In the meantime, he has said that obtaining the remaining hostages from Israel from Gaza is priority. With both polarized parties on Trump’s proposal, an agreement Extending the ceasefire may have become more complicated.
