The surprising proposal of President Donald Trump to forcibly relocate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip and turn it into a tourist destination and real estate project, faces significant obstacles and global opposition.
For Palestinians and many others, these plans constitute ethnic cleansing, an attempt to expel them from the land they call home after Israel's 15-month offensive against Hamas left much of the area uninhabitable. It was also seen as an effort to end their decades-long struggle for a state, which has broad international support.
Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan—close allies of the United States and at peace with Israel—have condemned these plans and have strongly rejected Trump's suggestion of accepting more Palestinian refugees.
Saudi Arabia issued a rare statement during the night rejecting the idea of relocation and reiterating that it will not normalize relations with Israel—a key goal of the Trump administration—without the establishment of a Palestinian state that includes Gaza.
Those are just some of the many obstacles that the unexpected proposal by Trump to take "control" of Gaza faces.
The Palestinians do not want to leave
Palestinians consider Gaza as an integral part of their homeland and aspire to have an independent state in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, territories that Israel captured in 1967 during the Six-Day War.
Most of the population of Gaza are descendants of refugees from the 1948 war that surrounded the creation of Israel, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were expelled from what is now Israeli territory. They were not allowed to return because they would have outnumbered the Jewish population of the new state.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, suggested that if Trump's goal is to send the Palestinians to a "happy and pleasant place", they should return to their ancestral homes in Israel.
The ideal of staying in their land despite the threats of expulsion is a fundamental element of the struggle and identity of Palestinians, and it was clearly evident last week when hundreds of thousands of people returned to northern Gaza, despite its almost total destruction.
The Palestinian Authority, which is backed by the West and recognizes Israel and cooperates with that country on security matters, has vehemently condemned Trump's proposal.
Arab countries will not accept Palestinian refugees
Egypt and Jordan, who made peace with Israel decades ago, have repeatedly rejected previous proposals to resettle Palestinians within their borders.
They also fear that Israel will never allow the Palestinians to return, and that a massive influx of Palestinian refugees could destabilize the region again, as happened in the decades following 1948, when it was a key factor in the Lebanese civil war and the two Israeli invasions of that country. Additionally, both countries face economic difficulties that would prevent them from accommodating large numbers of refugees.
Trump suggested that the wealthy Gulf countries could pay to resettle the Palestinians, but that seems unlikely.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar have joined Egypt and Jordan in rejecting any relocation plan, with the Saudis repudiating the plan almost immediately.
Middle Eastern leaders also have influence.
Trump seems to enjoy using tariffs, sanctions, and aid cuts to pressure both allies and adversaries alike, and could apply economic pressure on countries like Egypt and Jordan, which have long depended on American aid.
But these countries have their own points of support in the face of what they consider a major threat to their national security. And the wealthy Gulf countries, which historically have also provided assistance to Egypt and Jordan, could help cushion any economic blow.
Egypt has already warned that any massive transfer of Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Gaza, could undermine its peace treaty with Israel, which has been a cornerstone of regional stability and U.S. influence for almost half a century.
Egypt and Qatar have also served as key mediators with Hamas in the talks that led to the ceasefire, and both are working with Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy to the Middle East, to try to expand it.
For Israel, the hostages are the priority.
The idea of a massive relocation has historically been confined to the far right of Israel, but this Wednesday, leaders of the main currents said it was worth considering Trump's plan.
In the press conference with Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that they are "left speechless" when the U.S. president proposes unorthodox ideas, but then "people scratch their heads and say, 'You know? He's right'".
Benny Gantz, a centrist politician and former general long considered a more moderate alternative to Netanyahu, said that Trump's proposal showed "creative, original and intriguing thinking," and that it should be studied along with other war objectives, "prioritizing the return of all hostages."
Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition and a fierce critic of Netanyahu, who has expressed support for a two-state solution in the past, did not oppose the idea. Instead, he said in an interview with local media that it was too early to react to Trump’s proposal as there are no specific details, and that achieving the return of the hostages was the most important thing.