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Trump Just Crossed a Line in the Middle East. There’s No Way Back | Opinion
There was a time in Israeli politics when the idea of population transfer—the mass displacement of Palestinians—was so toxic that it was met with universal condemnation. Even within Israel’s fractious and divided political system, there was a line that could not be crossed.
When Rabbi Meir Kahane, the far-right extremist and founder of the Kach party, stood in the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) and called for the expulsion of Arabs from Israel, lawmakers from across the political spectrum, including hardline Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, would walk out of the chamber in protest. His rhetoric was so extreme that his party was banned, declared racist even by his own nationalist allies. For decades, transfer remained the third rail of Israeli politics – so extreme, so indefensible, that it could not be spoken of in polite company.
Yesterday, standing beside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump gave Kahane’s vision a certificate of approval.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
At a press conference, Trump suggested the permanent relocation of Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring Arab countries, saying they “would be much happier elsewhere.” He spoke casually about “taking over” the devastated enclave, presenting the idea of removing Gaza’s entire population as a legitimate policy proposal. Netanyahu, who in past decades might have recoiled at such rhetoric, stood there, smiling.
The significance of this moment cannot be overstated. The idea of transfer has lurked at the fringes of Israeli political discourse for years, advocated only by extremists. Now, with Trump’s endorsement, it has been dragged into the mainstream.
The Return of an Old, Dangerous Idea
Transfer is not a new concept. It is, according to many, Israel’s original sin. In 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced in what they call the Nakba, the catastrophe. While Israeli historians debate the extent to which this was a premeditated policy or the outcome of war, the idea of mass expulsion has haunted Israel’s history ever since.
For decades, Israeli leaders—across the political spectrum—have understood that revisiting this idea would be a disaster. Even those who have spent their careers opposing a Palestinian state have accepted that the Palestinian people are a permanent reality. Trump has now given new life to the fantasy that the conflict can be solved through simply removing the Palestinian population. In other words, ethnic cleansing.
Trump’s remarks did not come in a vacuum. Over the past decade, Israeli politics has undergone a radical transformation. The old taboos that once held the line against extremism have eroded.
Figures like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir—leaders of Israel’s far-right—have already been laying the groundwork for ideas that, in previous years, may have made Kahane himself blush. Smotrich has openly called for the “erasure” of Palestinian villages. Ben-Gvir, a disciple of Kahane, has spent years advocating for demographic engineering, insisting that Israel’s problem is not Hamas, but the very existence of the Palestinian people within its borders.
Until now, these voices were considered extreme even within Netanyahu’s coalition. But Trump’s intervention changes everything. The world’s most powerful political figure has legitimized their vision. His words will empower them, embolden them, and give them new leverage to push policies that were once beyond the pale.
A Dangerous Precedent with Global Consequences
It is easy to dismiss Trump’s statement as just another bombastic remark. But that would be a mistake. When the leader of the free world legitimizes an idea, it gains traction. It moves from the fringes to the mainstream. And in a political climate already poisoned by extremism, it can quickly become reality.
Even if Trump’s proposal is just a rhetorical flourish, a maximalist negotiating position to be “bargained down,” the damage is already done. Words have consequences—especially when spoken by a man with a history of turning inflammatory rhetoric into policy.
Trump’s past statements on Israel have reshaped reality. His recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and his support for West Bank annexation helped shift Israeli politics further to the right, fueling the belief that hardline positions would be rewarded with American backing. His embrace of transfer will do the same.
And the consequences will not be confined to Israel. Across the world, from Europe to India to the United States, ethno-nationalists will take this as a green light. The far-right has long looked to Israel as a model of how a nation can justify demographic engineering in the name of security. Now, they will have their most high-profile validation yet.
Netanyahu, who once would have recoiled at such a proposal, now stands silently by. His political survival depends on the very extremists who will seize on this moment to push their agenda further. And with Trump back in the White House, they will know that the most powerful nation on earth has their back.
Raoul Wootliff is head of strategic communications at Number 10 Strategies, an international strategic, research and communications consultancy. A former journalist, he was previously the Times of Israel’s political correspondent and host of its Daily Briefing podcast.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
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