The US and Israel have contacted officials of three East African governments to discuss using their territories as potential destinations for resettling Palestinians uprooted from the Gaza Strip under President Donald Trump's proposed postwar plan, American and Israeli officials say. or signup to continue reading The contacts with Sudan, Somalia and the breakaway region of Somalia known as Somaliland reflect the determination by the US and Israel to press ahead with a plan that has been widely condemned and raised serious legal and moral issues. Because all three places are poor, and in some cases racked by violence, the proposal also casts doubt on Trump's stated goal of resettling Gaza's Palestinians in a "beautiful area".
Officials from Sudan said they had rejected overtures from the US, while Somalia and Somaliland officials told The Associated Press they were not aware of any contacts. Under Trump's plan, Gaza's more than two million people would be permanently sent elsewhere. He has proposed the US would take ownership of the territory, oversee a lengthy clean-up process and develop it as a real estate project.
The idea of a mass transfer of Palestinians was once considered a fantasy of Israel's ultranationalist fringe. But since Trump presented the idea at a White House meeting in February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed it as a " bold vision". Palestinians in Gaza have rejected the proposal and dismiss Israeli claims that the departures would be .
