5 February 2025
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) condemns US President Donald Trump's proposal to remove Palestinians from Gaza. Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, not the United States or Israel, and this move would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing and a war crime.
This outrageous land grab must be firmly and unequivocally rejected by the UK government as well as the wider international community. The fate of two million Palestinians in Gaza - and the very foundations of international law - hang in the balance.
Trump's dangerous statements threaten to undermine Gaza’s fragile temporary ceasefire at a critical moment in negotiations to progress it to a second phase. They will also only serve to embolden the shocking levels of Israeli military and settler violence, and forcible displacement of Palestinians from their homes, currently happening in the West Bank.
World leaders must seize this moment to challenge the racist dehumanisation of the Palestinian people, and act decisively to prevent further atrocities in Gaza. To achieve this, they must impose an arms embargo on Israel, and ensure that those responsible for serious violations of international law in the occupied Palestinian territory are held fully accountable. They must also recognise the State of Palestine, reaffirm the right of Palestinians to self-determination, and act in accordance with the ruling of the International Court of Justice to bring Israel’s 57-year-long illegal occupation of Palestinian territory rapidly to an end.
MAP stands in resolute solidarity with the Palestinian people against these threats. We will continue to do all we can to ensure they can stay on their land, and achieve health, dignity and freedom.
