The former head of Israeli military intelligence on Thursday expressed doubts about the success of the United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump’s plan to take over the Gaza Strip and relocate Palestinians to other areas.
“An extremely favorable plan has been presented to Israelis here, and I hope it will come to fruition. However, I think the chances of that happening are very slim, and it also involves risks,” said Amos Yadlin, who led Israeli military intelligence from 2006 to 2010.
On Tuesday, the U.S. president stated at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. would “take over” Gaza and relocate Palestinians to other areas as part of an emergency reconstruction plan, which he claimed could turn the enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
His proposal was met with widespread condemnation from Palestinians, Arab countries, and many other states around the world, including Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (UK).
Yadlin said that Trump repeatedly emphasized the importance of securing the return of Israeli captives held by Palestinian groups in Gaza.
“I think he (Trump) gave Netanyahu a tool to move to the next phase of the (prisoner exchange) agreement. Trump essentially worked on stabilizing the Israeli government, which was at risk of collapsing due to (Finance Minister Bezalel) Smotrich,” Yadlin said.
Smotrich had threatened to bring down the Israeli government if it did not continue the war in the Gaza Strip.
Yadlin believes that Trump sold Smotrich “illusions” about relocating Gaza’s population to enable a transition to the next phase of the truce in Gaza.
The former intelligence chief, however, supports the idea of expelling Palestinians from Gaza, even “far from the Middle East,” but said the chances of Trump’s plan succeeding are very limited.
Trump has repeatedly suggested that Palestinian refugees from Gaza should be accepted by neighboring Arab countries, such as Egypt and Jordan, a proposal that has been rejected by both Arab states and Palestinian leaders.
His proposal for the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza came after a ceasefire agreement in the enclave took effect on January 19th, temporarily halting the Israeli war, which has killed more than 47.500 people, wounded over 111.000, and left the enclave in ruins.
