Was it one of those moments for which U.S. President Trump is famous, thinking out-loud in front of reporters and seeing what kind of reaction he will get or was his idea of repatriating Gazan refugees in Egypt or Jordan a nod toward a change of policy?

Trump's statement about how he would like to "clean out" Gaza has set the region afire with people wondering whether the president was indeed serious, and if he was, how he would even be able to bring such a thing about.

During a 20-minute question-and-answer session with reporters on Air Force One, Trump described the Gaza Strip as a "demolition site," following the Hamas-Israel war, which is still paused according to the terms of a delicate ceasefire but could potentially reignite at short notice. He said he had spoken to Jordan's King Abdullah II regarding the issue, and was set to speak to Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi about it Sunday.

Trump apparently told the king he'd like him to take more people, i.e. Palestinians. When reporters asked the president if he anticipated this being a temporary or long-term suggestion, he replied with a pithy, "Could be either."

"You're talking about probably a million and half people, and we just clean out that whole thing. You know, over the centuries it's had many, many conflicts, that site. And I don't know, something has to happen," Trump said.

In a similar vein, Trump told reporters he'd like Egypt to take people too, which is sure to set pulses racing as fast in Cairo as they might in Amman. He also said he'd like to see other Arab nations get involved "and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change."

The overall Palestinian refugee issue has been one of the central pillars of the centuries old warfare between Arabs and Jews. Since 1948, when Israel declared its independence and won a war against five Arab armies, Arabs who lived in Mandate Palestine and as vassals in the Ottoman Empire before it, have claimed refugee status in perpetuity, so that it survives from one generation to the next, which is not a standard applied to any other people on the planet.

It isn't clear if Trump's words should exactly be termed a proposal, but his pronouncement touches one of the Middle East's third rails. The truth of the matter is neither the Egyptians nor the Jordanians want any great number of Palestinians.

The Egyptians allowed anything from 75,000-115,000 Palestinian refugees into their country following Oct. 7, although it frequently charged exorbitant amounts for allowing them to do so. Usually in wars, neighboring countries take in refugees – and sometimes in Europe's case actively import refugees whether they are seeking asylum or not.