Following its invasion of Gaza, many have accused Israel of ethnically cleansing the Palestinian population. The rationale for these accusations was clear; Israel was expelling the citizens of Gaza en masse, and that’s the textbook definition of the first stage of ethnic cleansing. Now, returning president Donald Trump seems to be confirming what everyone feared – namely that Palestinians will be prevented from returning to Gaza so that Israelis can populate the territory – i.e. the second stage of ethnic cleansing:
Audio of Trump on Gaza: I’d like Egypt to take people and I’d like Jordan to take people. You're talking about a million and half people, and we just clean out that whole thing… pic.twitter.com/rPyQYgMhHJ
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 26, 2025
Does no one in the media know what it’s called when you “clean out” an ethnic group and expel them from their land?
“Trump Calls For Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians From Gaza,” that is your headline. pic.twitter.com/tPPFTZSvR9
— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) January 26, 2025
‘Population cleaning’ is ethnic cleansing, Trump
Not every outlet is afraid of using the term ‘ethnic cleansing’:
US President Donald Trump says he would like to “just clean out” Gaza, urging Egypt and Jordan to take in more Palestinians from the coastal enclave https://t.co/ieSXDwMOEP pic.twitter.com/7lArPnK2Ru
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 26, 2025
In the article highlighted above, Al Jazeera write:
United States President Donald Trump says he would like to “just clean out” Gaza, urging Egypt and Jordan to take in more Palestinians from the coastal enclave.
Speaking with reporters on board Air Force One on Saturday, Trump said he had a call earlier in the day with King Abdullah II of Jordan and would speak with Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi later on Sunday.
“I would like Egypt to take people,” Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say: ‘You know, it’s over.’”
Trump said he complimented Jordan for having successfully accepted Palestinian refugees and that he told the king, “I would love for you to take on more, ‘cause I am looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.”
Israel’s genocide in Gaza displaced almost the entire 2.3 million people in Gaza, some of them multiple times. Trump said Gaza’s inhabitants could be moved “temporarily or could be long term”.
“It is literally a demolition site right now, almost everything is demolished and people are dying there,” he said.
“So, I would rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”
If Trump maintains this position, that means the two-state solution pursued by America for the past few decades is dead. In recent years, many had increasingly called for a one-state solution in which Palestinians and Israelis co-existed, similar to how South Africa reconstituted post-Apartheid.
While Trump certainly seems to be calling for a one-state solution, it isn’t one in which two peoples will co-exist; it’s one in which Israeli colonisers claim the territory of genocide victims:
The ethnic cleansing of Palestinians shifts up a gear with Trump 2.0: Trump now promotes the 'relocation' of Palestinians from Gaza – itself a war crime – calling it temporary or long-term. For good measure he lifted the 'hold' on 2,000-pound bombs for Israel!…
— Yanis Varoufakis (@yanisvaroufakis) January 26, 2025
Israeli support and Palestinian objection
Some senior figures in the Israeli government have already responded to Trump’s plan, including the country’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich:
The idea of helping them find other places to start a better life is a great idea. After years of glorifying terrorism, they will be able to establish new and good lives in other places…
Only out-of-the-box thinking with new solutions will bring a solution of peace and security…
I will, with God’s help, work with the prime minister and the cabinet to ensure there is an operational plan to implement this as soon as possible
With Israel simultaneously blocking “hundreds of thousands” of Palestinians from returning to Gaza, Hamas argues that Israel has violated the terms of the ceasefire. Whether Trump of his Israeli allies care will be another matter.
Many are criticising this latest development:
President Trump is now openly & explicitly calling for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza.
Make no mistake: Trump wants to help Israel complete the erasure of Palestine, & the liquidation of the Palestinian struggle for freedom & justice. pic.twitter.com/lDrz2OnRRP
— Omar Baddar عمر بدّار (@OmarBaddar) January 26, 2025
Trump is suggesting the people of Gaza be dispersed among different Arab countries because they are all Arabs. I suggest dispersing the Trump family among different white countries, maybe the Musk family too, or even the entire white population of the US. Go to Greenland and…
— Alon Mizrahi (@alon_mizrahi) January 26, 2025
Ex Tory MP Rory Stewart, meanwhile, has accidentally made clear what the difference is between Trump and other politicians – namely that Trump is openly corrupt whereas others pretend to be acting in people’s best interests:
Trump is quite different from almost all previous leaders since the early Middle Ages. He does not even pretend – with Greenland or Gaza or international aid – to be acting for just reasons. The impact of this naked abuse of power will be staggering.
— Rory Stewart (@RoryStewartUK) January 26, 2025
Trump: worse than Biden on Gaza?
Some political commentators are using this development to justify their support for ‘Genocide Joe’ Biden and Kamala ‘Holocaust Harris’:
A week ago I was being told to apologize for saying Trump would be worse for Gaza because he faked a temporary pause/pretend ceasefire to coincide with his inauguration.
Now he’s just openly endorsing/encouraging ethnic cleansing. https://t.co/CEQW6P4Oby
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) January 26, 2025
People of Dearborn, Michigan, if you're listening! Voting for Donald Trump or Jill Stein over Kamala Harris because of Gaza showed an incredible lack of sophistication. It was like drinking salt water because you're thirsty. See how different the candidates were? Too late. pic.twitter.com/0Eh5fpTYnm
— Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) January 26, 2025
While Trump’s proposed plan is a war crime which the international community should stand against, describing it as “worse” than what was happening under Biden doesn’t add up. Biden may not have spoken as openly as Trump is now, but from his actions it was clear he supported the genocide of the Gazan population, and that he would ignore any red lines the Israelis crossed.
The Canary has challenged Israel and America for their treatment of the Palestinians for as long as we’ve existed, and we’ve faced constant smears as a result. We encourage everyone to fight Trump on this issue, but we refuse to buy into the delusion that Biden or Kamala Harris would have been ‘better’ for Palestine. These people literally supported an ongoing genocide – the worst crime there is – and there’s zero evidence to suggest they would have done anything other than allowing Israel to complete what it began.
We understand why figures like Mehdi Hasan convinced themselves to vote for the Democrats, as there were strong arguments to keep Trump out of the White House. At the same time, we recognise that what they’re doing now is driven by a need to cleanse their conscience of the fact that they willingly supported the enablers of a genocide.
You really don’t get to act smug about your choices when you voted for a genocide, and you especially don’t get to talk down to those who couldn’t vote for Harris because the thought of doing so repulsed them.
Stand for Palestine
As was true under Biden and the Democrats, it’s important that we all continue to make our support for a free Palestine clear. We can’t have politicians selling a narrative that the public supports what is happening, because we don’t, and we cannot. If nothing else, remember that when authoritarians get away with these atrocities, they won’t suddenly turn over a new leaf once they’re done wiping out their first targets. These systems of power run on violence, and they will claim all of us eventually if left unchecked.
Featured image via the Canary
