Washington, DC – Donald Trump’s call for the United States to “take over” and “own” Gaza after its Palestinian population is entirely displaced has stunned rights advocates and politicians, prompting condemnations and forceful rejections of the proposal.
While Trump had been calling for forcibly depopulating Gaza he took his proposal to a new level during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, saying the US would acquire the Palestinian territory.
Critics argue that Trump is not only advocating ethnic cleansing in Gaza but also proposing the acquisition of land by force in violation of the United Nations charter.
In 1994, UN experts defined ethnic cleansing as “a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas”.
Trump said that depopulating Gaza is necessary because it has been turned into a “demolition site” after more than 15 months of US-backed Israeli bombardment.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” Trump said.
Netanyahu smiled as he heard Trump’s comments during their joint media conference.
In recent months, Trump has also suggested that the US should take over the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada.
But his remarks on Gaza amid the immense suffering in the territory were especially jarring. It was met with rebuke from many rights campaigners.
Here’s some of what Trump’s critics had to say:
‘Terrifying’
Abed Ayoub, executive director at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), said Trump’s proposal is “terrifying”.
Ayoub said the US president’s comments are “insane”, but they should not be taken lightly, stressing that it was Israel’s plan all along to ethnically cleanse Gaza.
“It would go against all norms and international law. This isn’t something that would be permitted to happen,” Ayoub told Al Jazeera.
“But at this point, you’ve got to ask yourself, if you look at the past year and a half: How much does the international community, including Israel, really care about international law and norms?”
He warned that displacing Palestinians would ignite a major backlash in Arab countries and throw the entire region into further turmoil.
‘Threat to world peace’
Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at the US-based rights group DAWN, slammed Trump’s remarks on depopulating Gaza and the US taking over the enclave.
“President Trump’s delusional comments about owning Gaza highlights the need for the international community to hold both Israeli and US leaders accountable,” Jarrar told Al Jazeera.
“Doubling down on being Israel’s partner in genocide and ethnic cleansing is not just a threat to Palestine, it is a threat to world peace and international order.”
‘Endorsement of ethnic cleansing’
Tariq Habash, who resigned from the Joe Biden administration over its unconditional support for Israel, said Trump’s plan is an “endorsement of ethnic cleansing” and a “blatant violation of international law”.
“The US has no right to ‘own’ Gaza or dictate a future for the Palestinian people. This is not diplomacy and is not in America’s interest,” Habash, who recently co-founded the think tank A New Policy, told Al Jazeera.
‘Call for commission of crime against humanity’
Nancy Okail, president of the Center for International Policy, said that Trump’s proposal echoes ideas from the “darkest chapters of history”.
“President Trump’s comments proposing that the Gaza Strip’s population be permanently relocated and that the United States ‘take over’ the territory is nothing less than an open call for the commission of a crime against humanity,” Okail said in a statement.
“It is unconscionable that a United States President would promote the forcible displacement of a population and acquisition of territory in the 21st century.”
‘Palestinians aren’t going anywhere’
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, called on her colleagues who say they support the two-state solution to speak up against Trump.
“Palestinians aren’t going anywhere,” Tlaib wrote in a social media post.
“This president can only spew this fanatical bull***t because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing.”
‘Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people’
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) rejected Trump’s comments, saying that if the US president truly wants peace in the region he must work to end the oppression of Palestinians.
“Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, not the United States, and President Trump’s call to displace Palestinians from their land either temporarily or permanently is an absolute non-starter,” CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement.
“If the Palestinian people were ever somehow forcibly expelled from Gaza, this crime against humanity would complete the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians on their own land, spark widespread conflict, put the final nail in the coffin of international law, and permanently scar our nation’s international image.”
Bismillah. Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, not the United States, and President Trump’s call to expel Palestinians from their land is an absolute non-starter. Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the entire Muslim world have made it clear that this delusional idea is…
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) February 5, 2025
‘Palestinians cannot be erased’
The Arab American Institute said Trump hosted a “war criminal” at the White House for a “casual discussion” of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
“This declaration will give ammunition to Iran and other adversaries while undermining our Arab partners in the region. It defies decades of bipartisan American support for a two-state solution – the only viable means to guaranteeing peace, stability, and security for both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples,” the group said in a series of social media posts.
“Palestinians cannot be erased.”