US President Donald Trump has been accused of proposing the ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Gaza after suggesting ‘we can just clean out that whole thing’ with two million displaced
Donald Trump faces worldwide condemnation after suggesting the “ethnic cleansing” of Gaza.
The US President described the war-torn territory as a “demolition site” and suggested that Egypt and Jordan should take in two million Gazan refugees. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, the US President suggested “we just clean out that whole thing”.
He said: “I would like Egypt to take people. 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.’”
And praising Jordan for taking in Palestinian refugees he said: ““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.”
The idea has been rejected by both nations – with Egypt warning it “risks expanding the conflict in the region and undermines prospects of peace and coexistence among its people”.
It comes as tens of thousands displaced by the brutal war return to their homes after being allowed back into the northern Gaza Strip on foot. Dramatic photos show families on their way back after checkpoints were opened as part of the ceasefire deal.
A sea of people can be seen making their way along the Netzarim Corridor as people return for the first time in months. The US President sparked alarm when he suggested resettling Gaza’s 2.3million population in neighbouring countries.
He said: “It’s literally a demolition site right now. I’d 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.”
He added that the mass resettlement “could be temporary” or “could be long-term”. Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, said Trump’s proposal “would amount to an alarming escalation in the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people and exponentially increase their suffering”.
Meanwhile Thomas Juneau, a professor of international affairs at Ottawa University, told CNN such a move “would be ethnic cleansing, a crime against humanity, and it is insane the US president is casually saying it”.
A ceasefire is in place in Gaza after a deal was reached between Israel and Hamas to halt the war, which started following the sickening attack on October 7. This saw around 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage.
Hamas and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) condemned the idea, which it said “constitutes a blatant violation of the red lines we have consistently warned against”.
And Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, told journalists that his country’s rejection of the proposed transfer of Palestinians was “firm and unwavering.”
