A few days ago, US President Donald Trump called on Jordan and Egypt to accept more Palestinians before he went on to say that this could be for extended periods because the land area is small. The statement sparked adverse reactions from Jordan and Egypt, including official government statements reflecting significant discomfort with the proposal.

The most optimistic reading of the statement is that Trump is unfamiliar with the details of the Middle East and that the statement is in the context of his hasty, rough practices. Therefore, he is unaware of the origins and sensitivity of the issue.

However, Trump's statement was not spontaneous and implied many dangers. Anyone who thinks it is a passing statement is mistaken because its purpose is malicious, and its repercussions are existential. The proposal has a clear and growing political background in Israel and among the Jewish and Christian Right in the US, which insists that Greater Israel belongs to the Jews. Moreover, ministers in the Israeli government and most of those concerned with the Middle East in the new American administration who adopted these ideas have often repeated this statement.

Therefore, Trump's statement must be taken with the utmost seriousness because it is part of a malicious plan to end Palestinian identity.

The physical and digital dealing is consistent with the way of thinking of the businessman Trump, who believes that every issue has practical solutions, regardless of right and wrong, every issue has a cost, and every party has a price.

Unsurprisingly, Trump confirmed his adherence to the proposal even after the Arab parties did not welcome it. Hence, it is expected that in the coming weeks, there will be intensive American contacts with Jordan and Egypt to offer financial incentives to accept this proposal, or in the event of his rejection, explicitly threaten reactions and a reduction in American aid provided to them. There will also be a warning and reminder of the influence of the United States on international financial institutions if the proposal is not responded to. These are new practices reflecting rough and public diplomacy.

Since Trump won the elections, many countries have sought to secure good relations or avoid clashing with him, including several major countries such as Russia, China, and European allies. However, Trump's confrontational and continuous practices have provoked many direct and negative reactions even among friends or allies, as happened with Denmark, Panama, Mexico and Canada when they felt he had crossed national borders.

The reactions of Egypt and Jordan

The Jordanian and Egyptian reactions reflect a balance between strength and clarity. Although they prefer not to clash directly with the new American president, Jordanian statements confirm that Jordan is for Jordanians and Palestine is for Palestinians. Egypt continues to reject any proposal other than the two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

These are fixed and stable positions of the two countries that are the most supportive of the Palestinian cause and those who are directly affected by Israeli-Palestinian tensions and the clear Israeli injustice against the Palestinian people. The two countries' positions also have deep historical roots stemming from a deep appreciation of the repercussions of displacement on their national security. Their position also reflects other Israeli expansionist policies.

Commenting on Trump's statements, former Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy pointed out that avoiding a quick clash with Trump may seem logical, and some may see it as tactically sound. However, it does not address the situation fundamentally or elaborate on the possibilities of an inevitable future clash. Fahmy said: "I believe that what Trump proposed at the beginning is a new political clash, and we will not reach its end once some Arab countries express their rejection of it, and I expect that we will witness more pressure and escalation from the Israeli and American sides. I also expect that the request or many manoeuvers to achieve the same purpose will be repeated, most of which will be proposed by Trump himself  to exploit the interests of several countries in avoiding a clash with him personally."

Fahmy rules out the possibility of this idea being abandoned simply because Egypt and Jordan do not welcome it. Displacement is a fundamental step in emptying the Palestinian issue of its content and reducing the greatest danger to the Jewishness of Israel. He also does not rule out that the proposal will develop to include absorbing additional numbers of Palestinians in several Arab countries, in addition to burdening the Arabs with a large percentage of the costs of rebuilding Gaza and displacing Palestinians.

For these reasons, Arab countries should give this issue special attention and interact in a serious and almost collective manner. Arabs must activate their efforts against the issue of displacement in international forums, especially since forced displacement is a crime against humanity and a tool of genocide.

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Photo: Jordan and Egypt have rejected Trump's proposal to take in all Palestinian refugees. (by Adobe).