The Soft Language of Ethnic Cleansing: Trump’s Gaza Proposal

Trump's proposal has support from extremist Israeli politicians

U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to "clean out" the Gaza Strip by relocating over a million Palestinians to neighboring countries has sparked significant backlash. Critics have condemned the plan as ethnic cleansing and warned of potential regional chaos.

On Saturday, Trump suggested that Jordan and Egypt should accommodate Gazans displaced by Israel’s devastating war in Gaza. “You’re talking about a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Trump has engaged in discussions with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, both of whom, along with Palestinian leaders, have firmly opposed mass displacement. Forcing a population to leave their homes—whether through direct violence or by making conditions unlivable—has been widely condemned.

Trump said the relocation could be either "temporary" or "long-term." However, both Jordan and Egypt quickly rejected the proposal.

The plan has found support among extremist Israeli politicians, such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has stirred controversy by asserting that "there is no such thing as a Palestinian people." Former Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, who has a past conviction for supporting terrorism and inciting anti-Arab racism, has also embraced the proposal.

The plan, however, has been widely criticized as a form of ethnic cleansing, aiming to displace a specific ethnic group to achieve political goals. Such actions violate international law and risk further instability in the region.

Understanding Ethnic Cleansing

A commission of the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly described ethnic cleansing as the forced removal of specific groups to make an area ethnically homogeneous, using force or intimidation. This intentional policy, orchestrated by one ethnic or religious group to expel another, often employs violent methods of intimidation. Such acts are classified as crimes against humanity and war crimes and may also fall under the jurisdiction of the Genocide Convention.

The commission detailed coercive methods of ethnic cleansing, including murder, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, extrajudicial executions, rape, severe physical injury, forced displacement, destruction of property, and attacks on hospitals and medical personnel. These acts constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes, highlighting the grave nature of ethnic cleansing.

Trump’s Soft Rhetoric Masks Plan for Ethnic Cleansing in Gaza

Trump uses soft language to mask the harsh reality of his proposal: ethnic cleansing. By suggesting that Egypt and Jordan take in displaced Palestinians, he frames the forced removal as a humanitarian effort. Statements such as "You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, we just clean out that whole thing" downplay the severity of uprooting an entire population. This rhetoric attempts to present the displacement as a practical solution rather than acknowledging the profound human and ethical implications of such actions.

The idea of removing Palestinians for their own good was not introduced by Trump alone. Jared Kushner, a senior foreign policy adviser under Trump and husband to Ivanka Trump, was tasked with preparing a Middle East peace plan. He has praised the "very valuable" potential of Gaza's "waterfront property" and suggested that Israel should remove civilians while it "cleans up" the strip. In an interview at Harvard University, Kushner stated that from Israel's perspective, it would be best to move the people out and then clean up the area. He noted that Israel has not ruled out allowing people to return.

Kushner also proposed moving civilians from Gaza to the Negev Desert in southern Israel, suggesting that with diplomacy, it might be possible to relocate them to Egypt. He emphasized that creating a secure area in the Negev and relocating civilians there would allow Israel to, in his words, "finish the job."

This idea of relocating Palestinians for their own good aligns with Trump's rhetoric, presenting forced removal as a practical solution while downplaying its severe humanitarian impact.

When Trump was asked, "Will you plan to help rebuild Gaza?" by the press following his inauguration in Washington, he answered, "I might. You know, Gaza is interesting; it's a phenomenal location on the sea, best weather, you know, everything's good. It's like some beautiful things could be done with it, but it's very interesting." Trump's response echoes Jared Kushner's earlier remarks about Gaza's "very valuable" waterfront property. Both Trump and Kushner use soft language to present the forced removal of Palestinians as a practical and beneficial solution by emphasizing the potential for redevelopment.

Trump's Changing Tone: Doubts About Israeli Commitment to Peace

When Trump was asked about achieving peace between Israel and Gaza in 2015, he questioned Israel’s commitment to a peace deal.
"I have a real question as to whether or not both sides want to make it," Trump said in the interview. The Republican presidential candidate said his concerns were greater regarding one side in particular, though he did not specify which side. While Trump refused to answer questions about whether he was referring to Israelis or Palestinians, he said the chances for lasting peace rest with Israel. "A lot has to do with Israel and whether or not Israel wants to make the deal — whether or not Israel wants to sacrifice certain things," Trump stated.

On February 15, 2017, President Donald Trump, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint news conference at the White House, signaled a significant shift in U.S. policy by dropping the longstanding commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Despite this shift, Trump urged Netanyahu to curb settlement construction.

This contrasts sharply with his recent speech, in which Trump suggested that Egypt and Jordan take in displaced Palestinians to "clean out" Gaza. His language was more direct and assertive, framing the forced removal as a practical solution.

Commemorating Nakba: The Catastrophe of 1948

The Palestinian people have faced ethnic cleansing before. Every year on May 15, approximately 12.4 million Palestinians worldwide observe Nakba, or the "catastrophe," commemorating the forced displacement and destruction of Palestinian society in 1948. This year marks 69 years since Palestinians were dispossessed and lost their homeland.

On that day, the State of Israel was established through a violent process. This involved the forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to create a Jewish-majority state, in line with the Zionist movement's aspirations.

Between 1947 and 1949, at least 750,000 Palestinians from a population of 1.9 million were made refugees outside the borders of the newly established State of Israel. Zionist forces seized more than 78 percent of historic Palestine, displaced and destroyed about 530 villages and cities, and killed approximately 15,000 Palestinians in a series of mass atrocities, including over 70 massacres.

Though May 15, 1948, became the official day for commemorating the Nakba, armed Zionist groups had begun displacing Palestinians much earlier. By May 15, half of the total Palestinian refugee population had already been forcibly expelled from their homeland.

To this day, Israel continues to oppress and dispossess Palestinians, though in ways that are less overt than during the Nakba.