Episode Details

President Donald Trump is threatening to cut off aid to Jordan and Egypt if they do not submit to his outrageous demand to take in the Palestinians he hopes to forcibly displace from Gaza. Forced population transfers and denying people the right to return to their land are violations of international law. The president's idea of emptying Gaza of Palestinians, so the U.S. can take over the Gaza Strip and redevelop it, ignores important history. Palestinians who were once driven into Jordan after 1967 turned that country into a base to attack Israel, leading to a civil war in Amman in 1970. Trump is also repeating the mistake of the Abraham Accords, the diplomatic breakthrough of his first term. In this episode, scholar Khaled Elgindy breaks down Trump's Gaza proposal and delves into the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Further reading:

The Fallacy of the Abraham Accords by Khaled Elgindy in Foreign Affairs. 

Blindspot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump by Khaled Elgindy

Hamas' Victory, Gaza's Defeat by Ihab Hassan in Liberties

Jordan on the Edge: Pressures From the War in Gaza by Annelle Sheline (Quincy Institute)