US churches condemn Trump's call for forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza

Source: CMEP

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) vehemently opposes President Donald Trump's recent comments advocating for the forced removal of the Palestinian population from Gaza. This is an open call for ethnic cleansing and a blatant violation of international and humanitarian law, as well as a fundamental affront to the sanctity of human life.

Additionally, such language further undermines the current ceasefire, which the Trump Administration worked hard to secure and is directly responsible for ensuring all parties continue to adhere to its tenants through the completion of phase three of the deal.

The Palestinian people have endured 76 years of occupation and dispossession. For the past 15 months, they have faced relentless bombardment and mass killings, yet many have demonstrated the intention to remain in their homeland. Prior to Israel's blockade of Gaza, approximately 70% of the Palestinian population in the enclave were already refugees-displaced from their homes in what is now the modern-day state of Israel. If Trump's plan of displacement were to be carried out, this would mark yet another mass forced expulsion of the Palestinian people from their ancestral homeland, further traumatizing a people who have previously experienced multiple displacements. Trump's plan, with the explicit support of Prime Minister Netanyahu, is a deliberate and systematic effort to depopulate Gaza, a violation of international law that cannot be ignored.

The implementation of such forced expulsion would not bring stability or peace to the region. Instead, such actions would further disenfranchise Palestinians, deepen their suffering, and strengthen ideologies that support armed resistance. Such an ongoing cycle of displacement and violence, if implemented, would only perpetuate instability, not resolve it. Such instability has ramifications beyond Israel-Palestine and risks further radicalization in the region.

Trump also spoke about the need to rebuild and invest in Gaza. CMEP affirms that Gaza must be rebuilt, and we call for an international coalition-including the United States-to invest in Gaza's reconstruction. However, this must be done without forcing Palestinians from their land and with the full participation of the Palestinian people. The people of Gaza have the right to remain in their homes, to lead the reconstruction of their communities, and to live in dignity and security. Any attempt to displace them once again is a moral and legal atrocity that the international community must unequivocally reject.

CMEP calls on the US government and the global community to stand against this plan and to commit to upholding Palestinian rights and positively addressing the core issues of the conflict, ensuring that justice, peace, and human rights are at the center of any future efforts to rebuild Gaza and end this decades-long oppression.

Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a coalition of more than 30 national church communions and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelical traditions that works to encourage US policies that actively promote a comprehensive resolution to conflicts in the Middle East with a focus on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. CMEP works to mobilize US Christians to embrace a holistic perspective and to be advocates of equality, human rights, security, and justice for Israelis, Palestinians, and all people of the Middle East.