A Palestinian man cooks food on a makeshift stove near his displacement tent in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, ahead of the iftar fast-breaking meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on March 9, 2025. AFP
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist dismissed any notion that Trump’s proposed displacement plan is not being taken seriously, stressing that "it is not a joke to Tel Aviv."
Since his inauguration on 20 January, Trump has repeatedly proposed a colonial plan for the US to seize control of Gaza, displace its population to Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab nations, and eventually transform the strip into a “Middle East Riviera."
Hedges highlighted concerns over the administration’s broader policy approach toward the region, warning that while Trump himself may not have a defined ideology on Gaza, key figures within his administration are driven by ideological beliefs and are actively seeking to forcibly displace Palestinians from their historic land to Egypt and Jordan.
He cautioned that such actions would contribute to instability across the Middle East.
Egypt and Jordan have firmly rejected Trump’s colonial proposal for Gaza, stressing that establishing a Palestinian state based on the 4 June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, is the only way to achieve lasting peace in the region.
The Extraordinary Arab Summit, which took place in Cairo on Tuesday, saw a unanimous Arab vote on Egypt’s Gaza reconstruction plan, which is vehemently against Palestinian displacement.
He added that "Israel’s ultimate goal is to expel Palestinians from their land. It is deliberately destroying Gaza’s infrastructure and causing massive civilian casualties to force Palestinians to flee.”
Hedges, a long-time critic of US foreign policy, has extensive experience covering the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as a correspondent in the Gaza Strip.
He described the Israeli 15-month aggression on Gaza as “a genocide” and claimed that the events of 7 October 2023 provided Israel with justification for its invasion of the Palestinian territory.
Additionally, Hedges suggested that the US may soon officially recognize Israel’s annexation of the occupied West Bank, noting that Washington continues to provide diplomatic protection for Israel within the United Nations Security Council.
Meanwhile, the UN warns that Israel’s extended offensive in the occupied West Bank, which has displaced tens of thousands and devastated refugee camps, may be part of its annexation plans.
Though Israeli forces regularly conduct raids, Operation Iron Wall, which started on 21 January, is the longest and most brutal Israeli military operation in the West Bank in over two decades.
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