Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and their supporters around the world have angrily denounced United States President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 plan, announced on February 4, to ethnically cleanse Gaza under the guise of 鈥渞esettlement鈥.
The genocidal announcement came after Netanyahu paid homage to the US, Israel鈥檚 biggest military and political backer.
Trump said if Gazans had an alternative 鈥溾.
He talked up their 鈥溾, which, among other things, during his first term delivered the US Embassy to Jerusalem, recognising it as Israel鈥檚 capital; recognised Israel鈥檚 occupation of Syria鈥檚 Golan Heights; and the Abraham Accords 鈥 the 2020 bilateral agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Israel and Bahrain, promoted as religious cooperation but, in fact, are economic deals that betray the Palestinian鈥 long struggle for justice.
Trump will fail to achieve his goals in Gaza 鈥渢hrough real estate deals and brokerage鈥, just as Israel has failed 鈥渢hrough 15 months of starvation, genocide and systematic destruction鈥.
Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Lybia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Lebanon, the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council . The Houthi movement in Yemen condemned Trump鈥檚 statements as a blatant attack on Palestinian rights and an insult to the Arab and Muslim world, .
Canada, France, Germany, Russia, China, Spain, Ireland, Brazil and Britain have condemned Trump鈥檚 plan.
Shamikh Badra, Palestinian activist and member of the Palestinian People鈥檚 Party, told the 一品探花 Show that Trump鈥檚 statement was an 鈥渆xtension of the colonial strategy of eliminating the Palestinian people in Gaza鈥.
鈥淭hey thought that after the destruction of Gaza that people would leave and they would succeed in their ethnic cleansing campaign 鈥 but Palestinians will never leave Gaza.鈥澨
Israel has after Hamas released three Israeli prisoners.
The Israeli Occupation Force has completed its withdrawal from Gaza鈥檚 , which cut off northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip, while it continues to expand its assault on the Occupied West Bank, killing Palestinians in the Nur Shams refugee camp, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman.
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Snap protests were held across the country in response to Trump鈥檚 announcement, ahead of the 70th weekend of Palestine solidarity protests over February 8鈥9.听
Alex Salmon reports that more than 200 people rallied outside the US consulate in Boorloo/Perth on February 7 to protest Trump and Netanyahu鈥檚 plan for the US to 鈥渢akeover鈥 the Gaza Strip and to permanently displace all Gazans.
The rally was called by Friends of Palestine WA (FoPWA), which said: 鈥淧alestinians living in Perth and their supporters will demonstrate this Friday night to express their horror and dismay at Donald Trump and Netanyahu鈥檚 latest announcement.鈥
Hala Ilena, FoPWA co-chair, told the rally: 鈥淏y declaring that Gaza should be put under American control and Palestinians removed to neighbouring countries, the most powerful man in the world is calling openly for ethnic cleansing.
鈥淲e have suffered beyond belief. Our children, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles have been slaughtered for the last 15 months. And now this. The world must stand up.鈥
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FoPWA co-chair Nick Everett said: 鈥淒onald Trump has not ruled out the use of American troops in the Gaza strip.鈥
He also indicated that Israel would continue and accelerate their conquest of Palestinian land in the West Bank. 鈥淭he notion of international law has been tossed out the window.
FoPWA spokesperson Vashti Fox said: 鈥淎ll such moves must be vigorously opposed by our own government. Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong have claimed that they stand for equal rights and justice for Palestinians. Thus far we have only seen them grovel at the feet of Donald Trump.听
鈥淲e must protest and demand our government actively and urgently break all ties with Israel and refuse to go along with Donald Trump鈥檚 plans for imperial expansion,鈥 Fox said.
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Peter Boyle reports that the snap protest organised by the Palestine Action Group against Trump鈥檚 announcement drew large crowds to Sydney Town Hall on Gadigal Country on February 7.
NSW Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should condemn Trump鈥檚 ethnic cleansing plan. 鈥淒onald Trump stood alongside the fugitive war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu and proposed permanently displacing millions of Palestinians in a move to grab land.听
鈥淏ut has the Australian PM Anthony Albanese even shown a whiff of criticism or condemnation of this plan to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza?听
鈥淚f he can鈥檛 speak up now, he is never going to speak up.鈥
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Ahead of the 70th weekly Palestine solidarity rally in Naarm/Melbourne on February 9, hundreds joined a rally called by a collective of anti-Zionist Jewish activist groups campaigning against racism, the weaponisation of antisemitism and the ongoing genocide of Palestinians.
Speakers included Jeffery Lowenstein, former chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission; comedian and researcher Jacob Sacher; Wiradjuri activist Debbie Morgan-Frail; and Palestinian organiser Mai Saif.
鈥淲e are here in sorrow, solidarity and anger with our Palestinian sisters and brothers,鈥 said rally chair David Glanz. Glanz said Netanyahu, Trump, Albanese and Dutton have weaponised antisemitism and Jewish identity as means to justify the oppression and slaughter of Palestinians.
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Morgan-Frail spoke about the interconnectedness of First Nations, Jewish and Palestinian struggles against racism.
She said it is important to be informed about the history of these struggles, particularly as Israel has attempted to gain legitimacy and support from First Nations peoples by crafting false narratives of Israeli indigeneity to Palestine.
Morgan-Frail called out the major parties鈥 hypocrisy: 鈥淯pholding our governments and corporate media鈥檚 narratives and concerns about a [false] antisemitism benefits only the two-party system and their bipartisan support for Israel 鈥 while ignoring the daily, overt and structural racism against First Nations people in this country.鈥澨
Morgan-Frail said she had been attacked on her way to the rally by pro-Israel demonstrators, who held a small counter-rally.
Saif, whose family includes Muslim, Christian and Jewish Palestinians, told 一品探花 that Palestinian and anti-Zionist Jewish activist 鈥渟tand together for justice and peace, and an end to the colonial project that has murdered thousands of Palestinians鈥.
Protesters marched to join the main rally at the Victorian State Library, which drew more than 1000 people.
Jacob Andrewartha reports that speakers emphasised opposition to Trump's plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza.听
Kim Bullimore, long-time Palestine solidarity and First Nations activist, spoke about her experience visiting Palestine. She recounted watching the Israeli military bulldoze the home of a Palestinian family whilst they were still inside.
Palestinian activist Amin Abbas spoke about Trump鈥檚 shameful record in denying Palestinian sovereignty, including recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel during his first presidency. He said Trump's 鈥渄isgraceful suggestion鈥 of 鈥減ushing Palestinians out of Gaza鈥 can only be described as an act of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement.
Abbas said it is disgraceful that 鈥淎lbanese has remained silent鈥 in the face of Trump's statements and that his silence makes him complicit.
Jordy Silverstein from the Loud Jew Collective condemned workplaces and organisations that have persecuted workers for speaking out about Palestine.
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Alex Bainbridge reports that hundreds rallied in Magan-djin/Brisbane on February 9. Speakers welcomed the ceasefire that came into effect 21 days before the rally, but pointed out that Israel is still killing Palestinians and has failed to uphold its obligations under the ceasefire agreement.
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Jonathan Strauss, Socialist Alliance Senate candidate in Queensland, told听听that the genocide 鈥渃alls on all of us to join in solidarity action with the Palestinian struggle鈥.听
鈥淎 ceasefire is one thing, but justice is another. We have to continue the struggle for justice.鈥
Justice For Palestine Magan-djin will be organising rallies on a monthly basis. The next one is planned to be an Iftar gathering on March 9.
Palestinians Don鈥檛 Need Sidewalks, the new film by Dare to Struggle Films, the team behind Palestine Under Siege, drew a huge crowd for its premiere at Dendy Newtown in Gadigal Country/Sydney on February 4.
The film is being screened in Magan-djin/Brisbane on February 13 and in Burramattagal/Parramatta on March 7. Contact 听if you want to host a screening.听
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