by Matt Duss

Trump’s Gaza Ethnic Cleansing Comments are Appalling

The Center for International Policy’s Executive Vice President Matt Duss issued the following statement in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments proposing to “just clean out” the Gaza Strip of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians:

“Donald Trump’s comments explicitly advocating for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip are appalling and should be universally condemned. In making clear that he has been pressing U.S. partner governments on the idea, Trump is using the office of the American presidency to openly advocate for a crime against humanity.

The office of Palestinian president and the Jordanian government have already made clear that they reject any such proposal, and we hope other countries, as well as American lawmakers, swiftly do the same. We also hope that the international community will make absolutely clear to President Trump that by expressly pushing for the forcible transfer of population from Gaza, he risks violating international law, including the Rome Statute’s prohibition on aiding, abetting or assisting the commission or attempted commission of a crime against humanity.”