Trump’s ‘clean it out’ comment risks undermining his own work towards Gaza peace

Few words carry as much weight around the world as those spoken by an American president. Just a week into his new term in office, US President Donald Trump’s remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One that it was time to “clean out” Gaza renewed concerns about the future of Palestinians whose land is under threat.

Mr Trump’s comments were accompanied by his observation that the war has turned the Palestinian enclave into “a demolition site” and a suggestion that Arab states take in its civilians. Taken in context, it was unclear whether the President was suggesting the temporary hosting of the population in nearby countries to help clear out Gaza’s rubble, or prescribing what many Palestinians have long feared – a permanent Israeli occupation and the exile of Gaza's population.

The notion of “cleaning” the Gaza Strip, in any case, echoes troubling remarks made by Mr Trump’s son in law and former foreign policy adviser, Jared Kushner, last year, in which he suggested Israel “clean up” the territory’s “very valuable waterfront property” by moving Palestinians to the Negev Desert.

At a time when Gaza’s ceasefire, skilfully prodded into existence by Mr Trump himself, is showing progress, the President’s choice of words has created confusion and some concern. Hamas has begun returning Israeli hostages it kidnapped in its attack on Israel 15 months ago. Israel, for its part, has released detainees including children and opened the coastal road to allow tens of thousands of displaced civilians to return to their homes in northern Gaza.

But extremists in Israel have already seized upon Mr Trump’s remark to promote their agenda of Gaza’s erasure and permanent Israeli settlement in the enclave. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the former national security minister who leads the anti-Arab Jewish Power Party, praised Mr Trump’s “initiative to transfer residents from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt”. While Jewish Power left the governing coalition this month, other serving Cabinet ministers such as Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance, seem to agree with Mr Ben-Gvir’s views. Furthermore, the idea of Gaza forming part of a future Palestinian state – indeed, the idea of Palestinian statehood at all – is moribund in Israeli politics. All of this poses a serious risk to a peaceful future.

The response to Mr Trump’s comments from Jordan and Egypt has been forceful. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi put it bluntly: “The solution to the Palestinian problem lies in Palestine.” The Egyptian Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said in a statement that any transfer of Palestinians would “threaten stability and risks escalating the conflict in the region”.

For months, Amman, Cairo and a host of other Arab capitals have worked diligently, in co-operation with the US and Israel, to carve pathways towards a sustainable end to the Gaza war and long-term peace based on a two state solution. In all scenarios, Palestinian statehood – which includes territory in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank – is fundamental. And by and large, the international community agrees – more than three quarters of UN member states already recognise the state of Palestine.

As Mr Trump’s role in instigating the Gaza ceasefire shows, in addition to efforts under his predecessor to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon, Washington continues to wield the influence required to do good in the Middle East – when its policy machinery is pointed in the right direction. To prevent any chance at peace from unravelling, Mr Trump must build on the fragile successes of recent months, and be careful not to undermine them.