Donald Trump Faces Backlash for Gaza ‘Clean Out’ Plan: ‘Catastrophic Mistake’

Donald Trump is facing backlash after he said Saturday “we’re just cleaning up” the Gaza Strip, with critics accusing the president of supporting ethnic cleansing.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters that Egypt and Jordan must accept Palestinian refugees who will be displaced by the plan.

“You’re talking probably about a million and a half people, and we write this whole thing off and say, ‘You know, it’s over,'” Trump said.

Newsweek I contacted the White House for comment.

Why does it matter?

Less than two weeks ago, agitation And Israel Reaching a fragile ceasefire In light of the longest and bloodiest war ever in the Gaza Strip.

The war began with a surprise attack led by Hamas on October 7, 2023 against Israel, killing more than 1,200 people. Since then, Israel It was bombing Gaza relentlessly. Hamas-run health authorities say More than 44 thousand Palestinians were killed In the Israeli campaign, this is what some critics did It was described as genocide.

What do you know?

In a 20-minute question-and-answer session with reporters, Trump suggested “purging” Palestinians from Gaza.

“But it is literally a demolition site right now,” the president said. “Almost everything has been demolished, and people are dying there. So, I would rather partner with some Arab countries, and build housing in a different location, where they can live in peace for a change.”

Trump decided to lift the ban imposed during the Biden era on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, stressing that the weapons had been purchased and their delivery had been delayed.

“I looked at the picture of Gaza,” he said last Monday, on his first day in office. “Gaza looks like a huge demolition site… It must be rebuilt in a different way.”

What people say

Many historians, journalists, and political commentators took to social media to call Trump’s plan “ethnic cleansing.” Merriam-Webster defines the term as “the expulsion, imprisonment, or killing of a racial minority by a dominant majority in order to achieve racial homogeneity.”

Asal Rad, Middle East historian and foreign policy analyst On XTwitter previously: “Doesn’t anyone in the media know what it’s called when you ‘cleanse’ an ethnic group and expel them from their lands? ‘Trump calls for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza,’ that’s your headline.”

Written by Rory Stewart, former British Conservative MP and political podcast host On X: “Trump is very different from almost all previous leaders since the early Middle Ages. He doesn’t even pretend to:With Greenland Or Gaza or International aid– To act for just reasons. “The impact of this blatant abuse of power will be staggering.”

Written by Aaron Astor, historian On X: He added: “I’m really curious about how the Arab countries will respond to Trump on this matter. He is literally calling for the expulsion of the Palestinians from Gaza.”

Afshin Rattansi, a journalist, commented On X: “The rest of the world believes that the best plan is to stop Israel’s genocidal colonialism and allow the Palestinians to live in peace on the land they have lived on for so many generations.”

wrote Omar Badar, a progressive political analyst On X: “President Trump is now openly and explicitly calling for ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Make no mistake: Trump wants to help Israel complete the obliteration of Palestine, and liquidate the Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice.”

Tommy Vietor, former Barack Obama staffer turned podcaster, He wrote on X: ““There are two things that could be true: 1) Biden’s Gaza policy was a disaster and made people feel it was impossible to vote for him, and 2) voting for Trump in protest was a disastrous mistake.”

What happens next

Despite concerns on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza, the ceasefire and A continuous flow of aid It provides relief to populations in dire need, while international efforts continue to address the severe humanitarian crisis in the region.