Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians: Canada Must Publicly Oppose Trump’s Plan for Ethnic Cleansing

We call on the Government of Canada to unequivocally reject this appalling proposal and take immediate action to oppose any efforts to enact it.

In the first weeks of his new term, President Trump publicly outlined his plan to “rebuild” Gaza by permanently removing its Palestinian population – an unmistakable call for ethnic cleansing. Sitting beside the war criminal, Netanyahu – the architect of Gaza’s devastation – Trump cynically questioned why anyone would want to remain in Gaza, ignoring that it is Israel’s relentless bombing, starvation tactics, and destruction of homes, hospitals, and infrastructure that have created this dire situation. Worse still, he has approved the transfer of 2,000-pound bombs to a criminal regime on the brink of ending the ceasefire and resuming its genocidal campaign on Palestinians in Gaza.

For the last 16 months, Palestinians in Gaza have lived through the unimaginable at the hands of Israel: constant indiscriminate bombings, targeted destruction of hospitals and essential infrastructure, mass displacement, forced starvation, systematic massacres. The crimes committed during this genocide are undeniable. And yet, the Palestinian people have remained steadfast in their attachment to their homeland and their struggle for dignity and liberation.

The forced removal of an entire population is not only a moral abomination but a clear violation of international law. Any attempt to carry out Trump’s plan would constitute a war crime and a crime against humanity. Canada cannot remain silent.

History has shown us the consequences of inaction in the face of injustice. We look back on the Holocaust, the transatlantic slave trade, the genocide of Indigenous peoples, and apartheid with moral clarity. And yet, when presented with an opportunity to act against a genocide unfolding in real-time, our government lacks the moral fortitude to take a stand. Despite formal apologies for past injustices, Canada’s inaction signals that we have failed to learn from history, emboldening those who believe that might makes right.

Canada must join the many other countries around the world in calling out President Trump’s deplorable statements. Calling for the ethnic cleansing of a people cannot be tolerated. Canada must make it clear that we will not accept any actions that seek to further dispossess Palestinians.

We again demand that Canada impose a complete two-way arms embargo on Israel and end its role in providing the diplomatic cover that has enabled Israel and the US to propose such a shocking plan.

The time for Canada to act is now. Silence in the face of ethnic cleansing is complicity.

Board of Directors, The Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians