Over 70 US civil rights groups urge Trump to shelve Gaza displacement plan

More than 70 civil rights organizations and advocacy groups have urged US President Donald Trump to abandon his plan to take over the Gaza Strip and forcibly relocate Palestinians to neighboring countries like Jordan and Egypt.

In a letter sent to Trump, the signatories expressed “deep concern” over his recent proposals concerning the expulsion of nearly two million Palestinians from their homeland.

They urged the incumbent US administration to build on previous diplomatic efforts that led to a ceasefire in Gaza rather than to pursue policies that could destabilize the West Asia region.

“Put simply, the ethnic cleansing and US occupation of Gaza would spark a massive backlash in the Arab and Muslim world, drain American resources by entangling the US military in new forever wars, and make the peaceful establishment of a Palestinian state impossible, leading to even more conflict in the region,” the civil rights groups wrote in the letter publicized on Friday.

Among the signatories were the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), CODEPINK, Peace Action, and the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), as well as numerous other organizations and advocacy groups.

“Gaza is not a ‘big real estate site’ that can go to the highest bidder,” the letter stated. “It is a land that millions of Palestinians have called home for generations.”

The letter urged Trump to work with regional partners to rebuild Gaza without displacing its residents.

Group of UN envoys reject US plans to ‘displace’ Palestinians in Gaza

The Arab Group at the UN, together with a group of UN ambassadors, views the "displacement" of Palestinians as a violation of international law.

“We urge your administration to abandon the expulsion and occupation proposal. You should instead work with the Arab and Muslim world to develop a realistic proposal to rebuild Gaza without expelling Palestinians from their ancestral homes,” they said.

The letter also outlined a broader peace agenda with primary goals, including a call for a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian rebuilding of Gaza, an international redevelopment fund for Palestinian statehood, full US recognition of a Palestinian state and an end to Israel’s occupation and discriminatory policies.

Trump’s displacement plan comes amid a ceasefire agreement that has been in place in Gaza since January 19, pausing Israel’s genocidal war which has killed at least 48,264 Palestinians and injured 111,688 others, and left the coastal territory in ruins.

International law experts say Trump’s Gaza displacement plan is in flagrant violation of international law.

Experts maintain that Trump's proposal to expel Palestinians and place Gaza under US control continues a systematic policy of displacement dating back to 1948, and constitutes a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute.

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