The Jewish Council condemns US President Trump’s plan to ‘take over’ Gaza
The Jewish Council of Australia strongly condemns Donald Trump’s suggestion the United States will ‘take over’ the Gaza Strip and move Palestinian people elsewhere. We furthermore condemn the cynical use of humanitarian language by Trump to justify his egregious plan. This language adds insult to injury given the mounting evidence collected by human rights organisations about Israel’s gross violations of International Humanitarian Law in its 15-months long attack on the Gaza strip. Palestinians have a right to return and a right to remain in Gaza.
Dr Max Kaiser, Executive Officer, Jewish Council of Australia, said:
‘Donald Trump’s declaration that the United States should ‘take over’ Gaza and ‘own it’ is a plan for ethnic cleansing. This reflects the most extreme and dangerous elements of Israel’s far-right agenda. Forced displacement of Gaza’s population would be a blatant violation of international law and an assault on the fundamental rights of Palestinians.
We unequivocally condemn Trump’s rhetoric and the push to erase Palestinian presence from their homeland. The idea that the US or any other power can claim ownership of Gaza is a grotesque colonial fantasy, one that disregards the suffering of millions and paves the way for further violence.
Palestinians have the right to return to their homes, to rebuild their lives, and to determine their own future. We call on the Australian government to reject this dangerous rhetoric and reaffirm its commitment to international law and Palestinian self-determination.’
Antony Loewenstein, independent journalist, author of The Palestine Laboratory, and Jewish Council of Australia Advisory Committee member, said:
‘The ethnic cleansing of Palestine has been a long-term dream of the Israeli Right and it’s a view shared by many in the Israeli public and Jewish Diaspora. We must stand against the forced removal of Palestinians from Gaza, the West Bank or Israel itself. What Trump and Netanyahu are proposing will not bring Israel security but in fact the opposite; growing global outrage against Jewish supremacy in Palestine dressed up as a humanitarian act.’
