The US and Israel have reached out to countries in East Africa regarding the possibility of accepting Arabs from Gaza, as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to relocate residents from the conflict-ridden area and create a “Riviera of the Middle East,” The Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing three sources familiar with the matter.
The sources stated that the talks “are not that advanced at the moment,” but noted that Israeli strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer had approached the governments of Somalia and Sudan, while US diplomats have been in discussions with the breakaway region of Somaliland.
Somalia, Sudan, and Somaliland are currently mired in civil wars and face high levels of poverty.
A Somali official told the Financial Times: “Gaza belongs to Palestinians and it will remain for Palestinians. Somalia’s position on this is well recorded.”
Trump, for his part, last Wednesday told reporters at the White House that “nobody’s expelling any Palestinians,” meaning, presumably, that his envisioned project of emptying out Gaza to turn it into a Riviera would be strictly voluntary.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the Trump plan as “revolutionary” and “bold,” pledging to implement it. Last month, Israel’s defense ministry established a directorate to promote the “voluntary emigration” of Gazans via land, air, and sea. However, a person familiar with the matter told the FT that no significant progress has been made, as efforts to find a country willing to accept the evacuees have been unsuccessful.
Pro-Palestinian activists staged a protest at Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland.
Buildings were smeared with red paint, holes were dug up, and “Gaza is Not 4Sale” was sprayed across a green.#Trump #Scotland #Palestine pic.twitter.com/k4ScQjq2R6
— British Pakistani Index (@PakistaniIndex) March 8, 2025
Last week, one of President Trump’s golf resorts in Scotland was targeted by pro-Hamas activists in protest of his plan to evacuate the Gaza Strip’s Palestinian population. The UK-based group Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the attack on Trump’s Turnberry golf course and hotel in southwest Scotland. During the night, they spray-painted the message “Gaza Is Not For Sale” in large letters on the lawn and defaced the clubhouse’s exterior wall with red spray paint.
It turns out that Trump was aware of the plan to empty Gaza of its Arabs months ago, and discussed it at home, with his daughter Ivanka, while his grandchildren sat on his lap, The Marker reported in early March. Trump also spoke about it extensively with his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Despite now being behind the scenes and focusing on his private business, Kushner still has had a significant influence on Trump’s Middle East strategy.
In a February 2024 interview at Harvard University, a year before Trump’s Middle East “bombshell” announcement, Jared Kushner commented that “the Gaza coastline could be very valuable… if people focused on building a livelihood.” When asked about the residents, his response was a transfer: “It’s a bit of an unfortunate reality there, but from Israel’s perspective, I would do everything possible to get the people out and clean up the area,” Kushner said.
