Experts Warn of Collapse of Peace Agreements Following Trump’s Comments on Deporting Palestinians

Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to deport 1.5 million Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan has sparked widespread controversy and fears of aligning U.S. policies with the agenda of Israel’s far-right. Experts warn that this could pave the way for further U.S.-backed plans to deport Palestinians from the West Bank to Jordan, under the guise of reconstruction and providing a “new life” for Palestinians.

In this context, experts cautioned that such a project could lead to the collapse of peace agreements and destabilize the region. They noted that American pressure of this kind risks alienating key regional allies, with whom Trump previously maintained strong ties.

For example, Daniel DePetris, a fellow at the “Defense Priorities” institute in Washington, warned that Trump’s ambitions to expand the Abraham Accords—the most notable diplomatic achievement of his first term—could backfire. This issue not only jeopardizes future normalization agreements but also places existing peace treaties between Israel, Jordan, and Egypt at risk. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi remarked in October 2023, “The peace we achieved will slip through our fingers, all for the sake of eliminating the Palestinian issue.”

Thomas Friedman, writing for The New York Times, noted that extremist Israeli politicians Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have pushed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toward destroying Gaza, even at the cost of facing accusations of war crimes. Their hope is that such destruction would lead to mass Palestinian displacement, enabling Israel to annex much of Gaza.

Friedman added that Trump has an opportunity to reshape the region in ways that could promote peace and prosperity for Israelis, Palestinians, and the broader region while advancing U.S. security interests. However, the consequences of failing in this mission would be disastrous. Friedman warned that the Middle East could either be reborn or disintegrate into a collection of nation-states surrounded by chaos, terrorism, and instability. He urged the U.S. president to form a coalition with Arab partners and open negotiations with the Palestinian Authority for a two-state solution.

Last October, Trump stated that Gaza had been devastated by war and could now be transformed into “something better than Monaco if rebuilt the right way.” On his first day in office, he described Gaza as “a great location overlooking the sea with beautiful weather, where great things can be done.” Trump’s comments echo similar sentiments from his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who stated in February of the previous year that if Gaza were depopulated, it could unlock enormous potential, given its extensive coastline.

This American vision of real estate opportunities in Gaza evokes painful memories for Palestinians. During the Nakba of 1948, which led to the establishment of the state of Israel, around 700,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes. In the 1967 war, when Israel seized the West Bank and Gaza, another 300,000 Palestinians were displaced, with Israel refusing their return. Today, the number of Palestinian refugees has reached approximately six million.

Since the onset of the current Gaza war, Israel’s actions have forced many of the territory’s 2.3 million residents to flee their homes. Palestinians fear a new Nakba that would permanently uproot them from Gaza. The refugee crisis has persisted for decades, serving as a central driver of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and one of the most contentious issues in peace negotiations. While Palestinians demand the right of return, Israel insists that refugees should be resettled in neighboring Arab countries.