BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — The proposal by President Trump that residents of the Gaza Strip re-settle elsewhere is being met with questions and criticism from around the world, including right here in Green Country.
Trump is also suggesting that the U.S. take over the Gaza Strip.
Pamela Olson is the author of Fast Times in Palestine. The book chronicles her journey into Palestine and paints a picture of Israeli-Palestinian history.
2 News sat down with her to discuss President Trump’s proposal.
“For them, land isn’t something that should just be bought and sold like it’s fungible. It’s a commodity. For many of them, land is home and it’s very strongly rooted in their identity and their region, their villages and their town of origins have centuries of history and they feel very deeply rooted in that,” said Olson.
She said the people of Palestine are resilient, and they can’t be cowed into submission by bombs and forced starvation.
“If a genocidal onslaught for 15 months couldn’t force them off of their land, I don’t know what Trump thinks he can do to force them off their land,” said Olson.
We also wanted to get the Jewish perspective on Trump’s proposal, so we contacted multiple area synagogues.
We reached out to B’nai Emunah, The Jewish Federation of Tulsa and Temple Israel for comment but they declined.
However, we did receive this statement from the Jewish Federation of Tulsa later in the day saying:
“The Jewish Federation of Tulsa hopes for a lasting and just peace for Israelis, the safe return home of all hostages held by the Hamas terror army, and strong U.S. leadership in pursuing peace and security in the region.”
Olson said she hopes that the United States will use its power to compel the Israelis to treat the Palestinians in a better way moving forward.
“I don’t hold out much hope that Trump will be the one to do it, but if he is, he might get a Nobel Peace Prize, so you know, that’s something that might entice him, I don’t know,” said Olson.
According to the Associated Press, the war has displaced around 90% of the population of Gaza, which is roughly 2.3 million people.
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