Canada Must Oppose Trump Plan for Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) urges the Canadian government to condemn in the strongest terms US President Trump’s plans to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian people from Gaza. Yesterday, Trump declared that there is no future for Palestinians in Gaza and that the US will “take over” the illegally occupied territory after permanently expelling the population. CJPME argues that this is a clear expression of genocidal intent, and insists that Canada is obliged to consider all means necessary – including sanctions – to protect the people of Gaza from annihilation.
“After Israel systematically destroyed the basic conditions for life in Gaza, Trump is now using this destruction as an excuse to push for ethnic cleansing. Canada cannot quietly allow Trump to move forward with this genocidal plan,” said Michael Bueckert, Interim President of CJPME. Canada, as a signatory to the Genocide Convention, has an obligation to prevent and punish genocide wherever it occurs. “Canada must exert maximum diplomatic and economic pressure on any US or Israeli officials who contribute or conspire to commit genocidal acts,” added Bueckert.
Trump’s remarks came while hosting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, a fugitive wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. His comments were not a one-off event but followed similar statements made a week earlier that he wanted to “clean out that whole thing [Gaza],” an idea which was reportedly coordinated with Israeli officials. Israeli government agencies have been considering plans to expel the population of Gaza since at least October 13, 2023. Trump’s recent proposal has broad public support in Israel with over 80% of Jewish Israelis finding the idea desirable, and it has been welcomed by the so-called moderates in the Israeli opposition including Benny Gantz and Yoav Gallant.
“The failure of the international community to take concrete action in response to Israel’s mass slaughter in Gaza has brought us to the point where the US and Israel feel comfortable talking about ethnic cleansing out in the open. Canada’s silence has allowed for world leaders to normalize genocide, the gravest of all crimes. We cannot allow this for a moment longer. Canada must make a decisive break with this genocidal coalition and act to protect the right of Palestinians to remain on their land and return to their homes,” said Bueckert. •
CJPME Condemns Israeli Requests for Canada to Participate in Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is outraged and alarmed to learn that Israel is pressuring Canada to participate in its plans to force Palestinians out of Gaza, only days after US President Trump announced his intention to permanently expel the population. CJPME insists that any “migration” in this context cannot be considered voluntary but amounts to ethnic cleansing. CJPME urges Prime Minister Trudeau to publicly reject and condemn Israel’s attempts to enlist Canada in its genocidal scheme, and to impose sanctions on any Israeli or US officials contributing or conspiring to depopulate Gaza.
“The ethnic cleansing of Gaza is not an idle threat, but the intended outcome of Israel’s genocidal war of annihilation. Statements from US and Israeli leaders show that the wheels are in motion to implement the final phases of this plan. Canada’s muted response in the face of this planned atrocity is worse than inaction, it is complicity,” said Michael Bueckert, Interim President of CJPME.
Earlier today, Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz welcomed Trump’s plan to forcibly expel Gazans and instructed the Israeli military to develop a plan to “allow” Palestinians to leave Gaza by air, land, and sea. In a public statement, Katz warned that “countries such as Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others, which have falsely accused Israel over its actions in Gaza, are legally obligated to allow Gazans to enter their territory,” and specifically named Canada as a country that “previously expressed willingness to take in residents from Gaza” (presumably a reference to Canada’s failed temporary resident visa program). Israeli agencies have been circulating a similar plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza since at least October 13, 2023, which had even identified Canada as a possible destination for exiled Palestinians. CJPME is outraged that Canada has refused to condemn the US-Israeli proposal for ethnic cleansing, with only a pair of Tweets from Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly which buried a weak reference to forced displacement at the very end.
“We have warned since the start of the genocide that this was Israel’s end game in Gaza. Now we see our worst fears coming true, with Israel attempting to implicate Canada in this plan. Will Canada meaningfully push back and defend the right of Palestinians to remain on their own land, or will it roll over and allow itself to be complicit in ethnic cleansing to appease the US?” added Bueckert.
CJPME has been a long-time critic of Canada’s Temporary Resident Visa Program for Gazans (TRV), which has completely failed to reunite Palestinian families with their loved ones from Gaza. However, CJPME insists that temporary family reunification plans should be seen as entirely separate from colonial Israeli proposals to permanently displace the Gaza population and replace them with Israeli settlers. “Israel is trying to muddy the waters by conflating temporary humanitarian measures with support for ethnic cleansing,” said Bueckert. •
