UN Labels Forced Displacement as ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ Amid Trump’s Gaza Proposal

The United Nations avoided directly commenting on former US President Donald Trump’s proposal to “take over the Gaza Strip” and relocate Palestinians but reaffirmed that forced displacement constitutes “ethnic cleansing.” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated that any forced removal of people amounts to ethnic cleansing when asked if UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres viewed Trump’s plan as such.

While declining to explicitly address Trump’s remarks, Dujarric announced that Guterres would participate in a meeting of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP). When asked whether Trump’s statements risk further destruction in Palestine or set a dangerous precedent, Dujarric emphasized the UN’s commitment to resolving conflicts through dialogue and negotiations that uphold dignity and rights.

Trump first suggested relocating Palestinians from Gaza after a ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19, pausing Zionist devastating war that has killed over 47,000 Palestinians. Speaking alongside Netanyahu, he proposed moving Gazans to Jordan and Egypt while the US transforms Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”