From the ancient Romans to the modern Russians, population transfers have been a means for governments to remove the blood from the soil they wish to control. But population transfers have become taboo for a reason, as they can create more problems than they solve (not to mention violate the letter and spirit of various international agreements). While there are intense constraints on actually carrying out Trump's plan, his proposal to relocate the Gazan population will nonetheless change the U.S. approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. However, this new strategy is unlikely to solve the decades-old conflict and will instead fuel the erosion of post-World War II norms that have made population transfers rare, potentially setting the stage for future, generational conflicts as states steadily return to pushing civilians outside their borders....
