In a wide-ranging interview with Egypt’s Al-Dostour newspaper, Ramzy Baroud asserts that “the Arabs have an opportunity to correct a historical mistake” and emphasizes the importance of unity. He argues that the two-state solution is no longer viable and highlights how Palestinian resistance has successfully defeated Israel.
The Palestinian-American writer, Ramzy Baroud, told the Egyptian newspaper Al-Dostour US President Donald Trump’s statements regarding the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip aim to divert international media attention from the humiliation of the Israeli army in Gaza, in addition to appeasing extremists and donors to his election campaign.
Baroud also suggested that Trump is using the threat of ethnic cleansing as leverage on Saudi Arabia to gain approval for normalizing relations with Israel.
Baroud emphasized in his conversation with Al-Dostour, a well-known and widely read Arabic newspaper in Egypt, that the Egyptian position regarding the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians is strong, clear, and unconditionally rejects displacement, especially given the pressures Egypt faces from the US and its western allies.
He pointed out that the continued unified Arab stance supporting the Palestinian cause means that Israel will be faced with two options: either a just peace or internal collapse, especially given the significant divisions Israel is experiencing.
Q: What is your view on U.S. President Donald Trump’s statements about the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip? Do you see them as serious or just a trial balloon?
Ramzy Baroud: When nearly a million Palestinians began returning to their devastated areas in northern Gaza on January 27, following the ceasefire agreement, Trump began talking about something entirely different: the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza.
Trump’s repeated statements were typical of Trump’s speeches: filled with errors, confusing, and largely disconnected from reality. He claimed to have spoken with King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt, asserting that they agreed to relocate Gaza’s residents to their countries—a request both countries had strongly rejected during the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023.
Despite Trump’s well-known contradictory statements, often made within minutes or even within the same sentence, he insisted on his position this time, returning to the same topic repeatedly. It would have been easy to dismiss Trump’s comments as irrelevant and disconnected from reality; However, his insistence forced us to take his remarks seriously.
While Israel wants to see all Palestinians ethnically cleansed from their historic homeland, repeating the Nakba of 1948 and Naksa of 1967, Israel’s military defeat in Gaza makes such a goal unachievable. On the contrary, Palestinians have succeeded, thanks to their collective resistance, in returning to northern Gaza, and a new culture has begun to emerge among the Palestinian people. The idea of fulfilling the right of return for Palestinian refugees to historic Palestine no longer seems unrealistic, as many had mistakenly argued.
Q: Does this explain the timing of President Trump’s comments and his insistence on such bizarre statements about displacement?
Ramzy Baroud: There are several plausible explanations for why Trump made these remarks, or why he might have been advised to do so by pro-settlement politicians within his administration.
First, Israel suffered a significant blow in Gaza. Despite the genocide and the destruction of the entire strip, the Israeli army was humiliated, and its gradual withdrawal from Gaza shattered the hopes of Israeli settlers who sought to rebuild their illegal settlements in the occupied strip. Among these settlers is Miriam Adelson, wife of the late pro-Israel billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who reportedly donated $100 million to Trump’s campaign and remains one of his biggest financial backers.
Thus, Trump’s statement could have been an initiative aimed at Adelson, or a last-ditch effort to see if the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians could be achieved by applying American pressure on Jordan and Egypt.
Secondly, the timing of the statement created a much-needed distraction for Israel, drawing media attention in the Middle East while Palestinians were returning to northern Gaza, singing songs of their unprecedented victory, despite the US government’s unconditional support for Israel’s genocide. Washington likely wanted to create a diversion from the Palestinians’ triumph.
It is needless to say that Trump’s bluster did nothing but further shrink the image he tried to craft for himself as a powerful leader capable of ending wars with a single phone call, as he often claimed.
In fact, Trump succeeded—albeit temporarily—in convincing some Arabs, as shown in analysts’ opinions and media commentary, that his pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had ended the war. But his illogical statements about the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians quickly exhausted any political capital he may have gained unjustifiably.
Finally, perhaps Trump hoped to use the threat of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians as leverage to pressure the Saudis into normalizing relations with Israel, as he did during the UAE normalization on September 15, 2020. In the latter case, the UAE normalization was promoted as a concession in exchange for postponing Israel’s illegal plans to annex large parts of the West Bank. Of course, this was a ruse, and Israel made no such commitment.
Q: How much can Trump’s plan contribute to increasing tensions in the Middle East and harm his own country, even Israel?
Ramzy Baroud: Now, with Netanyahu wanted as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court and Israel under investigation by the International Court of Justice for genocide in Gaza, the Israeli leader, along with the most extremist government Israel has ever had, feels they have nothing to lose. Trump and his far-right administration’s support for their extremist cause only encourages Israel to move forward with its sinister and dangerous plans without any obstacles.
The current Arab outrage and popular mobilization are crucial, especially after Netanyahu and Trump clearly agreed to destabilize the Middle East, hoping for political outcomes that could benefit Israel, especially in light of Israel’s humiliation since October 7.
Destabilizing the Middle East means destabilizing all Arab countries. In other words, the US and Israel have now become the greatest threat to the national security of all Arab nations, and although this has always been the case, it has never been as clear as it is today. This demands strong, unified, and bold action from all Arab countries and peoples.
Q: There is talk about an Arab peace plan that includes the reconstruction of Gaza without displacement. What are the expected features of this plan?
Ramzy Baroud: The Arab plan, led by Egypt, aims to rebuild the Gaza Strip over 3 to 5 years without the need to evacuate the strip. This is very much possible if Israel is prevented from using reconstruction as a political tool to pressure Palestinians.
With broad Arab support, international solidarity, and strong will from the Palestinian people, this plan can be implemented.
The challenge now is for Arab countries to implement their plans without waiting for Israeli or American approval. I strongly believe that the Palestinian people will triumph, and that Arabs, if they continue to speak with one voice, can inject the “Arab factor” back into what is unjustly called the “Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” Egypt plays an essential role in these efforts, as it has historically been the closest ally to the Palestinian people.
Q: Is it expected that Netanyahu will leave the Israeli government? Will there be a difference between his far-right government and any other government?
Ramzy Baroud: In any case, Netanyahu will not be able to prevent Israeli society from collapsing much longer. The divisions in Israel are deep, and in many cases, irreversible. Liberals vs. the right, the military vs. political institutions, business elites vs. ideologues, and even within the religious and extremist nationalists and hard-right factions.
Once these divisions start to show, it will be difficult for Trump to maintain a clear policy towards Israel. In fact, his policies towards Israel and Palestine are already confusing, filled with contradictions, and unrealistic. It’s only a matter of time before this entire plan fails.
Finally, the Arabs have an opportunity to correct a historical mistake.
Q: Do you believe the two-state solution is still viable?
Ramzy Baroud: I don’t believe Israel has ever been serious about granting Palestinians a state. It has used the so-called “peace process” as a means to buy time, entrench its occupation, and invest in further colonial expansion at the expense of what remains of Palestinian land.
The Arab initiative in 2002 offered Israel a historic opportunity to grant Palestinians a state on the 1967 borders in exchange for full normalization with Arab states and achieving lasting peace. It has been 23 years since then, and Israel continues to reject this initiative with both words and actions.
While the official position of the Palestinian leadership, the Arab League, and most of the international community still supports the two-state solution, Israel has created irreversible facts on the ground, making such a solution a mere mirage at best.
Israel’s goal is to seize as much of the West Bank as possible, ethnically cleanse many Palestinian communities, expand its borders, and so on, without concern for the consequences of its actions, let alone violations of international law.
(Al-Dostour newspaper – Translated and prepared by The Palestine Chronicle)
