Trump accused of ethnic cleansing plan for Gaza

Jordan and Egypt have rejected a suggestion from President Trump that they accept large numbers of Gazan refugees because the Gaza strip is “a demolition site”.

One of the fundamental obstacles to Middle East peace – Palestinian refugees’ supposed right of return to properties they were forced to leave in 1948 and 1967.

But Trump said he’d prefer to be involved in building them new homes elsewhere “where they can maybe live in peace for a change”.

Officials in Amman and Cairo rejected the idea out of hand.

Neither capital wants to be seen in the Arab world as an accomplice to what’s been called a plan for ethnically cleansing what remains of Gaza.

47,000 Gazans are reported to have died by the time a ceasefire with Israel took effect a week ago.

The return of survivors to northern Gaza resumed yesterday after a delay.