“We thought we’d never return, like our ancestors after the Nakba (Catastrophe) of 1948. Yet here we are today, sharing the joy of coming home.” These words belong to a Palestinian, one of many who have returned to their land and what remains of their property.
After 15 months of war, the area lies flattened by Israeli air strikes. Most buildings have collapsed into concrete rubble. Some still entomb those who couldn’t escape before the “smart bombs” found them.
The return home has begun, albeit with many difficulties and obstacles, following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. But it’s just a ceasefire – the war hasn’t ended, nor have the tragedies.
Where returnees will live remains a challenge, yet the queues forming for the journey home confirm how vital it is for people to return to their land. This is a feeling that Greek Cypriot refugees haven’t yet experienced, more than fifty years after Turkey’s invasion and ongoing occupation of Cyprus. Turkey, as the occupying force, implemented ethnic cleansing after the invasion and refuses to discuss returning land and people. It imposes fait accomplis and cements its illegal presence on the island.
Turkey and Israel, backed by powerful international players and military might, impose their plans. Sometimes they even present themselves as the victims! Yes, they do this too, to justify their policies and extreme practices.
However, amid this long, painful, and difficult ceasefire implementation process, which includes exchanges of hostages, prisoners, and detainees, Washington has produced a brilliant idea. The “anti-establishment” and “unconventional” new US President has submitted an “innocent” proposal. Donald Trump suggested relocating Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan. As he put it, the population transfer could be “temporary but also long-term” (editor’s note: if they’re moved, they’ll never return – we’ve seen this script before). Calling Gaza a “construction site,” the American President argued that Strip residents must be removed for reconstruction to begin.
In short, he’s proposing Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, participate in a mass resettlement of Palestinians in their countries – evidently to accommodate Israel. The American President insists, and it’s not the first time he’s presented this proposal, though this time it’s more specific. Trump’s move, and his persistence largely confirms that the proposal was made in coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
With his characteristic cynicism, Trump rushes to provide “solutions” to avoid “violence and bloodshed.” This wasn’t a slip of the tongue, as often happens. It’s an idea that’s been voiced before. The New York Times references last year’s statement by Trump’s son-in-law about developing Gaza’s real estate potential. That’s why they want to move the population – or rather, drive them out – so the reconstruction party can begin. It’s a plan to “eliminate” the indigenous population, as Israel desires, and they must be rubbing their hands with glee at the American President’s words. As always, this plan has an economic dimension too.
Palestinians have endured many forced displacements since 1948, violently driven from their land. They won’t accept another catastrophe. And Arab states, the EU, and others shouldn’t allow it.
