In 1955, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower woke up, rubbed his eyes, and said: "Why don’t we solve the Palestinian issue with a nice relocation project?"
He sent his idea to Congress, requesting a massive budget for a project called "Jordan & Sinai." The goal was to relocate 280,000 Palestinians from their homeland to Jordan and Sinai.
The Real Goal of the Plan
The funny part? Eisenhower wrote to Congress:
"The purpose of the project is to permanently remove the refugee problem and relieve Israel from it!"
Of course, no Arab country would accept such a blatant plan. So, Eisenhower handed the idea to his right-hand man, Eric Johnston, head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Johnston rebranded the project to make it look like a development plan rather than forced relocation.
"The Johnston Plan"—Relocation Disguised as Development
The plan was named after Johnston, who was appointed as the official U.S. envoy to the Middle East.
He traveled to Jordan and promoted a massive development project for the Jordan River region, claiming that Jordan, Israel, Syria, and Lebanon would all benefit from it through better water resources and agriculture—turning the area into "paradise on earth."
Then, he toured Arab countries to convince them of one "small detail":
"The project needs a large labor force. But we can’t rely on temporary workers—we need permanent residents! And where can we find 280,000 people to fill these jobs? Think about it, Arab leaders… What about the Palestinians?"
How the People Stopped the Project
At the time, Arab governments were weak after the 1948 defeat, so they welcomed Johnston’s project on the surface.
However, once state-controlled newspapers began promoting the plan, the Arab people realized the truth ,a nd massive public pressure forced governments to reject the project, exposing it as an official displacement scheme.
Plan B: Fake Choices for Palestinians
After failing, Johnston introduced a Plan B, which gave Palestinians three choices:
Stay in Israel as “loyal citizens” who accept its policies and laws.
Leave Israel voluntarily to any country they choose, in exchange for financial compensation.
Move to Jordan or Sinai and permanently give up their “Right of Return” (UN Resolution 194).
But this was all deception because:
Egypt strongly rejected the plan, calling it a trick to erase the Palestinian cause.
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia also refused.
Even Israeli PM Golda Meir opposed it, saying: "Why would we bring them back if we expelled them in the first place?"
Plan C: Forced Displacement Through the 1967 War
After two years, Johnston returned to the U.S. in disappointment, but Plan C was already in motion:
In the 1967 War (Naksa), Israel occupied Sinai by force.
300,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced to Jordan.
Jordan faced major crises due to the Palestinian resistance.
The economic situation in Jordan collapsed due to the huge refugee influx.
Trump 2025: The Same Plan, But More Direct
Today, Donald Trump is using a blunt, no-nonsense approach:
He openly declared: "The U.S. will take Gaza as its own land, and Palestinians must leave."
He threatened renewed war if Palestinians refused to leave.
He insisted that Egypt and Jordan must accept them.
He shut down UNRWA (the UN refugee agency for Palestinians).
He eliminated the “Right of Return” and denied the existence of a Palestinian cause.
A Lesson from History: How the Plan Was Defeated Before
The key takeaway:
What stopped the Johnston Plan in the 1950s—after God’s will—was massive public pressure on Arab governments, which then pressured the U.S. administration to back off.
What is impossible remains impossible. And only God has ultimate power.