US and Israel approach East African nations for Palestinian resettlement plan

The United States and Israel have approached officials from three East African nations to discuss using their territories as potential destinations for resettling Palestinians from Gaza under President Donald Trump’s postwar plan, American and Israeli officials have told AP.

As AP reports, diplomatic contacts with Sudan, Somalia and the breakaway region of Somaliland reflect determination by Washington and Tel Aviv to advance a proposal that has faced widespread international condemnation and raised serious legal and moral questions.

Sudanese officials said they rejected American overtures, while officials from Somalia and Somaliland told AP they were unaware of any such contacts.

The approaches to these nations, all facing economic challenges and in some cases ongoing violence, appear to contradict Trump’s stated aim of resettling Gaza’s Palestinians in “a beautiful area”.

Under Trump’s proposal, Gaza’s more than 2 million people would be permanently relocated elsewhere, with the United States taking ownership of the territory to oversee reconstruction and develop it as a real estate project.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive diplomatic nature of the initiative, US and Israeli officials confirmed approaches to Somalia and Somaliland, while American officials acknowledged contacts with Sudan.

They said it remained unclear how much progress these efforts had made or at what level discussions occurred.

The outreach began last month shortly after Trump presented the Gaza plan alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to US officials, who said Israel was leading the discussions.

The White House declined to comment on the outreach efforts, while the offices of Netanyahu and his postwar planning chief, Cabinet minister Ron Dermer, offered no response.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has long advocated what he terms “voluntary” emigration of Palestinians, said this week that Israel was working to identify countries willing to accept Palestinians and was preparing a “very large emigration department” within its Defence Ministry.

Palestinians in Gaza have rejected the proposal, dismissing Israeli claims that departures would be voluntary. Arab nations have expressed strong opposition and offered an alternative reconstruction plan that would allow Palestinians to remain.

Human rights groups have warned that forcing or pressuring Palestinians to leave could constitute a potential war crime.

Two Sudanese officials, speaking anonymously, confirmed the Trump administration approached their military-led government about accepting Palestinians, with offers including military assistance against the RSF paramilitary group, help with postwar reconstruction and other incentives.

Both officials said Sudan rejected the idea immediately. At an Arab leaders’ summit in Cairo last week, Sudan’s military chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan said his country “categorically rejects” any plan to transfer “the brotherly Palestinians from their land under whatever justification or name”.

An American official involved in the diplomatic efforts confirmed the US was “having a quiet conversation with Somaliland about a range of areas where they can be helpful to the US in exchange for recognition” — a priority for the unrecognised breakaway territory. However, a Somaliland official denied knowledge of any approaches regarding Palestinian resettlement.

Somalia, which has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinians and joined the recent Arab summit rejecting Trump’s plan, also denied being approached. A Somali official said the country had not been contacted about accepting Palestinians from Gaza.

(information from AP News)