US, Israel In "Secret Talks" With African States To Take In Palestinians Forcefully Displaced From Gaza

The United States and Israel has been on secret talks with African states to discuss the potential resettlement of the Palestinians in Gaza, as per Associated Press report. The two close allies contact with Sudan, Somalia, and Somaliland aiming “to discuss using their territories as potential destinations for resettling Palestinians,” US and Israeli officials told AP.

Israeli media, Channel 12 last month reported that Tel Aviv is considering Morocco, the Puntland State of Somalia, and the Republic of Somaliland as places to relocate Palestinians. While Puntland and Somaliland seek international recognition of their sovereignty over Somali territory, Morocco seeks recognition of its sovereignty over the occupied Western Sahara. The report said US may use this to push forward his proposal for Gaza.

A US official told that separate outreach from the US and Israel to the three potential destinations began last month, days after (US President Donald) Trump floated the Gaza plan alongside (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu. He also added that Israel is “taking the lead in the discussions”.

It is not clear at what level the discussions are taking place, and how much progress it made, as the talks are supposed to be “secret”.

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At the same time, the Sudanese officials told AP that they have rejected US proposals for such a plan. Officials from Somalia and Somaliland said they were not aware of the discussions. Sudan was part of the 2020 Abraham Accords, which saw several Arab states, including the UAE, normalize ties with Israel.

After returning to office in January, US President Donald Trump made his controversial claim of “taking over” Gaza, and transform it into The Riviera of The Middle East. He said the US would take ownership of Gaza and expel the entirety of its population to bring in international development teams and begin work on reconstruction.

He said he would move the Palestinians to a “safer” location, and suggested Egypt or Jordan to take them. He later confirmed that his plan does not include their right to return to their land. Israel was all in for the forceful displacement of the Palestinians, and was reportedly preparing for it.

Trump backpedaled on his claims in late February, and said that he not wish to impose the plan by force but will recommend it. “We are not expelling anyone from the Gaza Strip,” he told reporters ahead of his meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin on 12 March.

Though US officials claimed that Trump “stands by his vision”, and rejected a proposal put forward by Egypt for a reconstruction and post-war solution plan for Gaza that does not involve any further displacement of its population. The Arab nations have rejected Trump’s plan and have officially endorsed the Egyptian initiative.

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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on 9 March that the government would establish a “migration administration” to facilitate the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes and lands in the Gaza Strip.

“We are establishing a migration administration, we are preparing for this under the leadership of the Prime Minister and Defense Minister [Israel Katz],” Smotrich said at the Knesset. “The budget will not be an obstacle,” he added. The new “migration administration” would be under the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and aims to expel all Palestinians as quickly as logistics allow.

“If we remove 5,000 a day, it will take a year,” Smotrich said. “This is a huge logistical operation – not just the bus that takes them, we need to know who is going, to which country, what ages, vocational training, a huge operation, we are preparing”, quoted The Cradle.

Smotrich claimed that “sources in the American government” agreed “that it’s impossible for two million people with hatred towards Israel to remain at a stone’s throw from the border”.

Israel has been stalling the talks on second phase of the agreed upon ceasefire negotiations. Reports emerged that Tel Aviv is preparing to forcefully displace Gazans, in line with Trump’s outrageous claims.

At the same time, Hamas, the resistance group of Gaza, said they are ready for negotiations. US held direct talk with the group first time since 1997, and the political power of Gaza revealed that it is ready to free a US-Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza and hand over the remains of four other US-Israeli nationals in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire agreement.

Hamas said it is willing to release the Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, who holds US citizenship, along with the remains of four other dual US-Israeli nationals. Speaking with Al Mayadeen, Hamas also said that indirect negotiations between the two sides to implement the second phase of the agreement will commence on the same day the prisoners are released.

It said the negotiations would include arrangements related to a ceasefire, the withdrawal of forces, and the release of remaining prisoners within 50 days. The group also emphasized the need to immediately open the border into Gaza crossings to facilitate the entry of humanitarian and relief aid. “We are determined to implement the ceasefire agreement in its various stages”, he movement said.