President Donald Trump’s declared his intention Tuesday to expel the two million Palestinian residents of Gaza and place the territory under U.S. control, transforming it into the so-called “Riviera of the Middle East.” What the real estate con-man’s proclamation showcased was his administration’s marriage to the militaristic, expansionist, and genocidal ambitions of Zionist ideology.
For decades, both religious Zionists and their secular nationalist allies have claimed that their control over the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea was rooted in divine or security-related concerns. However, Trump’s proposal has shattered these narratives, exposing them as mere pretexts for ethnic cleansing and imperial ambition.
Religious Zionists and their extremist secular partners—both inside Israel and abroad—have long maintained that “every inch of the Land of Israel was given to the Jewish people by God and therefore must be governed by the Jewish State.” This belief has been echoed by Israeli leaders for decades, particularly within the right-wing Likud Party.
Former Prime Ministers Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, and current leader Benjamin Netanyahu have all repeatedly asserted that “there can only be one state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea”—that state being Israel. This ideology has underpinned settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and has been used to justify opposition to Palestinian self-determination in any form.
Recently, right-wing Israeli leaders held a conference about re-establishing Jewish settlements in Gaza, which Israel unilaterally withdrew from in 2005 under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan. At this conference, speakers argued that “all of the Holy Land is Jewish and must be settled by Jews,” implying that Palestinians have no rightful claim to live in their own homeland.
Despite these supposed ideological principles, Israeli politicians from across the spectrum, not just the religious right, praised Trump’s expulsion plan—even though the United States is obviously not a “Jewish State.” This highlights that Zionist leaders are willing to compromise their own stated principles if it means advancing the broader goal of displacing Palestinians.
Trump’s proposal, which seeks to remove all Palestinians from Gaza and open the land for redevelopment—presumably by U.S. and Israeli capital—has been met with enthusiastic support from Israeli leaders across different political factions.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev (Likud) celebrated the plan, stating, “This is what happens when two brave leaders meet. One, the leader of the free world, the other, the leader of the only democracy in the Middle East.”
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Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beiteinu, right-wing, secular opposition) expressed gratitude to Trump “for finding a just solution in the Gaza Strip.”
Itamar Ben-Gvir (Jewish Power, far-right, religious) urged Netanyahu to immediately implement Trump’s proposal, arguing that it aligns with his own long-standing call to expel all Palestinians from Gaza.
The uniformity of support across these parties demonstrates a shared disregard for international law and support for Israeli territorial expansion and Palestinian displacement no matter the human cost.
Despite the enthusiastic welcome it received from Israeli leaders, Trump’s proposal is entirely illegal under international law. It violates multiple international treaties prohibiting forced population transfers:
- Geneva Conventions (1949) – Both the Fourth Geneva Convention and its Additional Protocols prohibit the forced transfer, expulsion, or deportation of civilian populations from occupied territories. Israel and the U.S. are both signatories to these agreements, making their endorsement of such policies a direct violation of international law.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) – which the U.S. and Israel have ratified, guarantees the right of peoples to remain in their homeland and prohibits arbitrary displacement.
- The Hague Convention (1907) – prohibits mass expulsions and outlines the responsibilities of occupying powers in ensuring the protection of civilian populations.
Moreover, Egypt and Jordan, the two countries Trump is pressuring to accept the expelled Gazans, are also signatories to these treaties. If either country were to comply with Trump’s plan, it would violate their legal obligations and international commitments.
Trump’s proposal has unintentionally exposed the true goals of Zionist ideology. For decades, Israeli leaders and their allies have claimed that their expansionist policies were rooted in religious beliefs or security concerns—but now, they are openly supporting a U.S. plan to remove Palestinians from their land so that U.S. developers—including, likely, some directly connected to Trump—can turn Gaza into a profitable beachside resort for the world’s wealthy and powerful.
This reality confirms what many Palestinian scholars, activists, and international observers have long argued: Zionism is not just about securing Jewish self-determination—it is about ethnic cleansing and settler colonialism.
The claim that “the Land of Israel must be ruled by the Jewish State” was never about divine right; it was always about removing Palestinians.
The alliance between Israel and the U.S. is based on shared imperial interests, not shared values of democracy or human rights. And for a grifter like Trump, the possibility of huge real estate payoffs stand as a further incentive.
The president’s Tuesday declaration has further normalized ethnic cleansing, emboldened Israeli extremists, and undermined the principles of international law. The international community of nations, if it has any principles, must reject this proposal and hold both the U.S. and Israel accountable for their violations of international law.
The Palestinian people have endured decades of occupation, displacement, and violence. This latest scheme to expel them en masse from Gaza is not only a war crime but a moral abomination. The world must respond accordingly—not with complicity, but with firm resistance to imperialism, militarism, and support for Palestinian self-determination.
As with all news-analytical and op-ed articles published by People’s World, this article reflects the views of its author.
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