Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad: Trump’s withdrawal from the displacement plan is not an abandonment of it, but rather a temporary calm and a tactical, not strategic, retreat.

Akram Atallah: Trump will not back down from displacement unless counter-pressures are intensified, both Arab and international, to become stronger than Israeli pressure

Dr. Bilal Al-Shobaki: Trump’s statements about the displacement from Gaza are an attempt at political blackmail and exploitation rather than an implementable plan

Dr. Qusay Hamed: A well-thought-out tactic to calm Arab and international reactions while continuing to keep the idea of displacement an option open for discussion

Nabhan Khreisha: Trump will rethink new mechanisms and appropriate alliances to implement his plan, but he will realize that his project is not an inevitable fate

Dr. Aql Salah: Trump has not backed down completely, but may return with his plan to pressure the Palestinians and Arabs to accept solutions that are in line with his policy

Amid international protests, US President Donald Trump appeared to have temporarily, if only formally, backtracked on his previous statements regarding the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, amid warnings that this was a tactical rather than strategic retreat, especially since Trump returned to confirm that he was “in no hurry” to implement this plan.

In separate interviews with “I,” writers, political analysts, specialists, and university professors believe that Trump’s retreat does not reflect an abandonment of the idea, but rather is merely a temporary calming step, in light of the US administration’s awareness that mass displacement represents a flagrant violation of international law, and may endanger its regional and international interests.

Writers, analysts, university professors and specialists confirm that the American-Israeli plan for displacement is not new, but rather reflects the essence of Zionist policies. The implementation of this project may be done gradually by drying up the means of life in Gaza and creating an environment that repels the population, which may push the Palestinians to “voluntarily” emigrate under the pressure of harsh conditions. However, the continuation of international and Arab pressure may force Trump to re-evaluate his position, especially if its political cost becomes higher than the potential benefits.

On the other hand, writers, analysts, specialists and university professors believe that Trump, who adopts a method of bargaining and political blackmail, may use the issue of displacement as a pressure card in the context of his negotiations with regional parties, as he can offer to stop the implementation of the plan in exchange for political or economic concessions.

A state of retreat, confusion and hesitation

Writer and political analyst Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad believes that US President Donald Trump’s statement that he is “in no hurry” to implement the plan to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip reflects a state of retreat, confusion, and hesitation, and perhaps a temporary abandonment of the idea. The proposal that Trump launched with “crudeness, ignorance, and stupidity” faced a wave of strong reactions at the international and regional levels, which prompted him to reconsider his plan, or at least slow down its implementation.

Awad asserts that one of the main reasons behind Trump’s retreat from implementing his plan at the present time is that the mass displacement of Palestinians represents a flagrant violation of international law and humanitarian law, and it also contradicts traditional American policies that have relied - even if only formally - on managing the conflict rather than igniting it with mass displacement projects. Adopting such an idea means that the United States is completely turning its back on everything that has been agreed upon internationally regarding the Palestinian issue, which could harm its global standing and its relations with allied countries.

Awad believes that the mass displacement of Palestinians is not only a humanitarian disaster, but also harms Israel itself, its allies in the region, and threatens the path of settlement and normalization that Israel has sought to establish with Arab countries over the past three decades. If the plan is implemented, Israeli-Arab relations will be exposed to serious tremors, and may end completely, because the regimes that signed normalization agreements will find themselves facing their angry peoples, and will not be able to justify the continuation of their relationship with Israel in light of the displacement of the Palestinians and the liquidation of their cause.

Awad points out that the displacement plan puts moderate Arab regimes in a major dilemma, because it is impossible for them to agree to displacement and help liquidate the Palestinian cause. If the matter turns into displacement instead of a state, what justifications remain for normalization? This means that the Arab regimes will pay a heavy price that they do not want to pay, which may lead to a complete collapse of the settlement process that was reached over the past decades.

Awad describes Trump as a real estate man and a broker by nature, who does not think about history, national identities, rights, and international laws. Rather, he simply follows his interests wherever he finds them. Therefore, his statements do not mean that he has completely abandoned the idea, but rather he may be looking for a better opportunity to implement it in the future. As a businessman, he is accustomed to bargaining, exchanging, and negotiating, and he knows that there is a great political cost to implementing his plan at this time. Therefore, his retreat may be just a tactical maneuver until the appropriate conditions are prepared.

He stresses that the mass displacement of Palestinians is not an American idea, but rather the essence of the Zionist project itself. Since its founding, Zionist thought has been based on “more land, fewer Arabs,” and “a land without a people for a people without a land.” This doctrine has not left the mindset of Israeli leaders, but is rather raised every few years, then postponed if it encounters difficulties. But the idea does not die, but rather the right opportunity is awaited to implement it.

Awad points out that Trump’s retreat from the displacement project is not an abandonment of it, but rather a temporary calm, with the aim of avoiding violent reactions and rearranging the political cards. The Israelis do not stop thinking about displacement, but they postpone implementation until the right opportunity arises, and Trump, who reflects Israeli desires more than he is an independent decision-maker, may return to this plan again, if he sees that circumstances permit it in the future.

Long term project requiring preliminary procedures

Writer and political analyst Akram Atallah points out what US President Donald Trump means by not rushing to implement the plan to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, as he realizes that such a project cannot be implemented overnight, but rather is a long-term project that requires preliminary measures such as voluntary migration and drying up the means of living in the Strip, which leads to creating an environment of pressure that ultimately pushes Palestinians to leave it.

Atallah points out that the implementation of the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents does not depend on Arab or international reactions, as Trump does not pay any attention to them. He made this clear when he spoke about Egypt and Jordan, indicating that they may object at first, but they will accept in the end without this objection having any significant effect.

Atallah confirms that Trump's position on this project is linked to several factors, including his personal interests linked to his companies, in addition to the Israeli desire that plays a pivotal role in strengthening this trend.

He points out that the project has the support of a major country represented by Israel and its lobbies, which makes it a realistic matter for Trump, and even if the displacement does not succeed, he may exploit the idea for bargaining and political tactics, such as demanding that Saudi Arabia normalize relations with Israel in exchange for stopping the deportation, which makes it an existing project until now.

Atallah stresses that Trump is not the owner of the idea, but rather a mere translation of the Israeli desire and program. He was provided with documents, projects, and visual materials that support him in adopting this proposal, which made him repeat exactly what Israel wants. Therefore, Trump’s withdrawal from the idea will not happen unless Israel abandons it first, as he is merely a front for implementing this plan.

The only scenario that might push Trump to back down, according to Atallah, is to intensify the counter-pressures to become greater and stronger than the Israeli pressures, whether at the Arab or international level. If these pressures reach a level that cannot be ignored, then Trump could back down from the project, but he will not do so automatically, but rather under pressure that exceeds the Israeli influence on him.

The retreat is an attempt to save Trump's retreat line.

Professor of Political Science at Hebron University, Dr. Bilal Al-Shoubaki, confirms that US President Donald Trump’s statements regarding his lack of urgency in implementing the proposal to displace the people of Gaza and occupy the Strip may be the result of the widespread and angry reactions to his proposal, which were not limited to Palestinians and Arabs, but also included Western political levels.

Al-Shoubaki points out that such statements may have come at the behest of some of his advisors who realized that the idea of displacing the people of Gaza and occupying the Strip had sparked sharp criticism, making its implementation currently unrealistic.

Al-Shoubaki points out that transforming this proposal into an implementable plan requires the presence of partner parties beyond the United States and Israel, which is not currently available.

It is believed that Trump's withdrawal of the statement, even if only superficially, may be an attempt to preserve a path back in case Trump or any party supporting him fails to implement this idea in the future.

According to Al-Shobaki, Trump and his advisors’ reading of the situation in Gaza, along with international interactions, led them to conclude that the idea is not feasible in the foreseeable future.

However, Al-Shoubaki did not rule out the possibility of re-raising the idea of displacement or occupation of Gaza in the future if the appropriate conditions are available, suggesting that these statements will be used politically, rather than as a current practical step, such that they will be used as a political blackmail and investment card to pressure the Palestinians and reduce the ceiling of their negotiating demands.

Al-Shoubaki explains that such strategies are not new, but rather represent a classic American-Israeli approach to dealing with Palestinian and Arab rights and aspirations. At a time when the traditional Palestinian demand was to end the occupation and achieve an independent state on the 1967 borders, the negotiating ceiling may be manipulated to become merely ensuring that the Palestinians remain on their lands, instead of talking about ending the occupation or lifting the siege.

Al-Shoubaki believes that these statements may also be used in the context of US-Israeli relations with some Arab countries, especially in the normalization process. Instead of pushing towards establishing a Palestinian state, the new proposal may be to keep the Palestinians within their current borders without real sovereign rights, which contributes to broader normalization with some Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia.

Israel and its allies will not give up the idea of displacement

As for the possibility of Israel abandoning the idea of displacement, Al-Shoubaki stresses that Israel and its allies have not and will not abandon this idea, but the current circumstances do not allow for its direct implementation. However, Al-Shoubaki believes that the decisive factor here is the lack of a political and diplomatic environment capable of supporting such a plan.

Al-Shoubaki stresses that instead of merely condemning these American and Israeli statements, there should be a Palestinian counter-proposal based on strategies to stabilize the Palestinians on their lands and strengthen their political and social presence, to prevent the passage of any plan aimed at weakening the Palestinian presence or forcibly displacing them.

Seeking to reshape international awareness of the idea of displacement

Professor of Political Science at Al-Quds Open University, Dr. Qusay Hamed, believes that US President Donald Trump seeks to reshape international awareness of the idea of displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, so that it becomes one of the options proposed within future solutions to the tragedy in the Strip, and thus legitimize it.

Hamed points out that Trump's main goal is to wrap the idea of displacement in a "humanitarian aspect" and present it as an "optimal" solution to address the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip.

Hamed believes that this aims to divert attention from the war crimes and Israeli aggression in Gaza that caused this humanitarian catastrophe to legitimizing the idea of displacement as one of the possible solutions, as the principle of the proposed displacement is based on consolidating Israel’s occupation of the Strip and even annexing it as part of it.

Hamed warns that the most dangerous thing that could happen is for Trump to succeed in making the international community, including Arab countries and the Palestinians themselves, deal with displacement as if it were a realistic and possible solution, and to transform the idea of displacement from an unfeasible scenario into a proposal that is discussed at the humanitarian and international levels.

Regarding whether Trump’s proposal is a real proposal or just a political tactic, Hamed explains that Trump is aware of the difficulty of implementing the idea of displacement on the ground, especially the Arab countries’ rejection of it, but he seeks through statements like these to transform this tactical proposal into a reality and make the idea of displacement more acceptable as a humanitarian solution to the worsening humanitarian situation in the Strip.

The most dangerous aspect of Trump’s proposal, as Hamed sees it, is the attempt to impose greater pressure on Arab countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, to prepare the ground for implementing this idea.

Hamed believes that Trump will keep the issue of displacement as a tool of pressure on Hamas and the Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia, and will delay the reconstruction of Gaza, keeping it an uninhabitable place as part of a strategy of political blackmail.

Hamed believes that the timing of Trump’s proposal aims to link the progress of the next stages of the deal with bargaining with Hamas to make concessions such as agreeing to remove its leaders from Gaza and dismantling its military wing, in order to back down from this proposal, and on the other hand, bargaining with Saudi Arabia to abandon linking normalization with Israel to the establishment of a Palestinian state, in exchange for abandoning the idea of displacement.

Regarding Trump’s lack of urgency in implementing the displacement idea, Hamed believes that this is not a retreat from the idea, but rather a deliberate tactic to calm Arab and international reactions, while continuing to keep the idea in the discussion.

According to Hamed, Trump’s advisory team, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are well aware that previous Israeli policies that sought to displace Palestinians in Gaza have largely failed to achieve this goal, and therefore Trump’s successive statements on displacement are intended to keep the debate alive around this idea without abandoning it.

Hamed believes that the idea of displacement comes in the context of the United States and Israel's attempts to reshape international awareness towards accepting this scenario as part of the international community's efforts to alleviate the human suffering in the Gaza Strip.

Savage capitalism in its worst forms

Journalist Nabhan Khreisha believes that US President Donald Trump's statements about postponing the implementation of his plan to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip are not only due to Arab and international opposition, and even within the United States, but there are other reasons that prompted him to declare that he is in no hurry.

This announcement, according to Khreisha, does not mean that Trump has abandoned the idea, but he simply does not place it at the top of his priorities at the present time, as he was busy in the first hours of his term with other files, such as strengthening the American economy by imposing customs duties on imports from China, Canada and Mexico, in addition to implementing his strict policies against immigration.

According to Khreisha, Trump revealed his readiness to send American forces to Gaza to implement his plan, which includes displacing the Palestinians and establishing the “Middle East Riviera” project, which reflects savage capitalism in its ugliest forms, and brings to mind the direct military colonialism that prevailed before World War II, but after the war, it turned into soft colonialism based on economic dominance and the exploitation of other countries’ natural resources, which is what Trump is trying to implement in Gaza through huge real estate and investment projects.

Despite Trump’s announcement of postponing the displacement project, Khreisha believes that this retreat is tactical and not strategic, as he will rethink new mechanisms and appropriate alliances to implement it in the long term.

Reshaping Political Alignments in the Middle East

Khreisha believes that Trump is working to reshape the political alignments in the Middle East to serve his personal and economic interests, citing his relationship with the Saudi company “Dar Global”, with which he invested in a project to build luxury villas in the Omani capital, Muscat, at a cost of $200 million.

Khreisha explains that one of the reasons Trump announced that he would not rush to implement the project is his awareness of the difficulty of sending American forces to Gaza, and the impossibility of harnessing the political, military and financial capabilities of the United States to serve his own projects. Therefore, he needs a “barter” deal with Netanyahu, which stipulates that Israel resume the war on Gaza, with the aim of destroying any hope of rebuilding the sector, and tightening the siege on the entry of humanitarian aid, which may push the Palestinians to forced migration.

In return, Trump would guarantee Israel military, political and financial support, and perhaps recognition of its sovereignty over the West Bank or parts of it, which would enable it to increase the pace of killing and destruction in the West Bank, with the aim of pushing the Palestinians there to emigrate as well. If this scenario comes true, Trump would find an open path to making business deals with Israeli companies to implement his projects in Gaza, including tourist resorts, entertainment facilities, and oil and gas exploration in its lands and coasts.

He points out that psychologists' assessments of Trump's personality confirm that he is an unpredictable person, as he has never admitted defeat, even in the most difficult moments of his bankruptcy in the nineties, or during his many investment mistakes. He sees himself as always victorious, and suffers from complex narcissistic disorders that make him refuse to admit failure.

But despite all these calculations, Khreisha asserts that Trump will sooner or later realize that his project is not an inevitable fate, and that the Palestinians are not an extra people to humanity, nor are they Red Indians. The Palestinian people, in Gaza and all other places where they are found, will remain steadfast and will not allow the plans aimed at uprooting them from their land to pass.

Trump seeks to impose solutions that are in line with his political interests

Writer and political researcher Dr. Aql Salah believes that US President Donald Trump’s retraction of his statements regarding the displacement of the residents of the Gaza Strip is due to the regional and international reactions he was met with, in addition to the internal opposition in the United States.

According to Salah, Trump's statements about displacement contradict international legitimacy and humanitarian laws, which put American democracy under severe pressure, prompting Trump to adopt a more calming stance after realizing the extent of the shock caused by his statements at all levels.

Salah points out that Trump was seeking, through his statements, to test the reactions of the concerned parties, with the aim of drawing up a future policy that is in line with his political interests.

Salah believes that Trump's withdrawal from the idea of deportation now was nothing more than an attempt to ease the situation and reduce the effects of his failed statements, which were subject to severe criticism.

However, Salah stresses that Trump's retreat does not mean that he has completely abandoned his plan for displacement, but rather that he may return with his plan to pressure the Palestinians and Arabs to agree to solutions that are in line with his policy, such as normalization with Israel and the solutions he is proposing regarding the Palestinian issue.

Salah reviews some previous details related to the context of Trump's policy, pointing out that Trump is the only American president who dared to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, and he is also the one who announced the "Deal of the Century" in its early stages.

In this context, Salah believes that the plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza represents a continuation of the “Deal of the Century,” which includes two parts: the first relates to resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, while the second is a tactic to achieve expansionist Israeli goals.

Salah asserts that the American plan seeks to impose a "fait accompli solution" based on establishing Palestinian self-rule within a limited state, expanding settlements in the West Bank, and comprehensive normalization with Arab countries, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Salah describes what Trump is proposing as a “shock theory” that aims to quickly present solutions in an attempt to force everyone to accept them.

Salah believes that Trump's statements serve the Netanyahu government, which benefits from the continuation of far-right rule in Israel.

He stresses that American institutions, including Trump's team, are fully aware that the idea of displacing Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank is contrary to international law and will not be feasible on the ground, but the real goal lies in exploiting these statements to force Arab countries to accept normalization with Israel, and thus impose solutions that end the Palestinian issue at the expense of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

Salah believes that Trump's statements about displacement aim to put more pressure on Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, to accept the idea of "self-rule" for the Palestinians instead of establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, which reflects an Israeli vision that seeks to liquidate the Palestinian cause and establish Israel in the region.