The U.S. and Israel have proposed a plan to officials in Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland: resettling Palestinians from Gaza in these African regions.
The move, part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s postwar vision, has been widely condemned as legally and morally questionable.
Worse still, it raises serious doubts about Trump’s claim that Palestinians would be relocated to a “beautiful area.”
Plan built on sand
Trump’s proposal calls for the permanent displacement of Gaza’s more than 2 million residents.
The U.S. would assume control over Gaza, oversee cleanup efforts and transform the land into a real estate project.
What was once dismissed as a fringe idea of Israel’s ultranationalists has now been embraced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has hailed it as a “bold vision.”
However, Palestinians overwhelmingly reject the plan, calling it forced displacement disguised as voluntary migration.
Arab nations have slammed it, instead proposing a reconstruction initiative to keep Palestinians in place.
Human rights groups warn that coercing or pressuring an entire population to leave could constitute a war crime.
Yet, the White House insists Trump “stands by his vision.”
Secretive diplomatic outreach
U.S. and Israeli officials, speaking anonymously, confirmed backdoor discussions with Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland.
How much traction the talks have gained remains unclear, but it’s evident Israel is spearheading the effort.
Incentives – ranging from financial aid to military support – are being dangled before these nations.
The approach mirrors Trump’s tactics from the Abraham Accords, which brokered diplomatic deals between Israel and four Arab states.
Despite these efforts, Sudanese officials say they have outright rejected the idea.
Officials in Somalia and Somaliland claim they have not been contacted, though U.S. sources suggest otherwise.
Sudan: War zone as a refuge?
Sudan, one of the Abraham Accord signatories, has been in turmoil since plunging into civil war.
Ethnically motivated killings, mass rapes and ongoing atrocities have made Sudan a humanitarian disaster.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating war crimes, and even the Biden administration has labeled some acts as genocide.
In short, Sudan is the last place Palestinians would willingly go.
Yet, the U.S. and Israel reportedly tried to entice Sudan’s military-led government with debt relief, weapons and diplomatic backing.
Two Sudanese officials confirmed that such overtures began before Trump’s latest proposal.
“This suggestion was immediately rebuffed,” one said. Military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan has since reiterated Sudan’s “categorical rejection” of any forced Palestinian displacement.
Somaliland: Search for recognition
Somaliland, a self-declared independent state unrecognized by the international community, has been floated as another destination.
Its new president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, prioritizes achieving global recognition, and U.S. officials see this as leverage.
An American official familiar with the talks suggested Washington was “having a quiet conversation with Somaliland about a range of areas where they can be helpful to the U.S. in exchange for recognition.”
The idea: use the promise of diplomatic legitimacy to soften Somaliland’s stance on Palestinian resettlement.
The United Arab Emirates, a key Abraham Accord partner, has long maintained commercial and strategic interests in Somaliland, further complicating the situation.
But despite Somaliland’s relative stability compared to Somalia, it remains one of the world’s poorest regions.
A local official, speaking anonymously, denied any discussions had taken place and dismissed the possibility of hosting displaced Palestinians.
Somalia: Strong pro-Palestinian voice
Somalia has been a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, regularly holding rallies in solidarity with Gaza.
The country joined an Arab summit that outright rejected Trump’s plan, making it an improbable destination for Palestinian resettlement.
Experts, like Kenyan conflict researcher Sambu Chepkorir, struggle to see why Somalia would be considered at all.
“The realignments keep changing, and so maybe there is a hidden agenda in why Somalia,” she said.
A Somali official, also speaking anonymously, said there had been no outreach about taking in Palestinians.
The country, already grappling with internal instability and a persistent threat from al-Shabab terrorists, is unlikely to entertain such a controversial proposition.
Bad idea wrapped in diplomatic jargon
Trump’s Gaza resettlement proposal is fraught with problems – legal, ethical and practical.
It hinges on the assumption that impoverished, unstable nations will absorb an entire displaced population in exchange for vague promises of aid and diplomatic favors.
But with Sudan’s rejection, Somalia’s pro-Palestinian stance, and Somaliland’s uncertain political future, the plan appears to be built on fantasy rather than reality.
While Washington and Tel Aviv push ahead, Palestinians, Arab nations, and human rights advocates are sounding the alarm.
If history is any guide, forced displacement under the guise of “voluntary migration” rarely ends well. And this proposal is shaping up to be no exception.
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