EuroPal Forum condemns – in the strongest terms – U.S. President Donald Trump’s outrageous call for the U.S. to seize control of Gaza and forcibly expel its Palestinian population. Trump’s outrageous plan is a direct incitement to ethnic cleansing, a flagrant breach of international law, and an explicit endorsement of war crimes under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute.
Trump’s abhorrent suggestion to transform Gaza from a ‘demolition site’ into the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’—by erasing its people and imposing foreign rule—revives the worst colonial ambitions of the past. It lays bare, once again, the United States’ deep complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
EuroPal Forum affirms that Palestinians are not to be displaced at the whim of imperial powers, nor is their homeland a territory to be claimed. Gaza is an integral part of Palestine, and its people have an inalienable right to remain on their land, free from the threat of extermination.
It is worth noting that while European governments have been quick to reject Trump’s remarks with Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock calling the proposal ‘unacceptable’, France warning it would further destabilise the region, and the UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer stating that Palestinians ‘must be allowed home’ to rebuild, mere statements of condemnation are not enough. For far too long, European governments have sat idly by—issuing hollow words while actively supporting Israel’s occupation and its systematic destruction and genocide of Gaza. Their diplomatic shielding, arms sales, and political endorsements have enabled Israel to act with total impunity.
The time for complicity and passivity is over. In response to Trump’s outrageous plan, we demand immediate, tangible action from the UK and European governments:
- Formal rejection of any plan that endorses the forced displacement of Palestinians or foreign control over Gaza.
- Diplomatic and economic consequences for the U.S. and Israel should they pursue these crimes.
- A total arms embargo on Israel to prevent further war crimes against the Palestinian people.
- Legal accountability through international accountability mechanisms to prosecute those advocating ethnic cleansing.
- Concrete support for Palestinian self-determination, including recognition of Palestine as a full sovereign state.
No power—whether American, Israeli, or European—has the right to decide the fate of Palestinians. Gaza will never be a colonial project for foreign control; it belongs to its people. The world must act—not with empty condemnations, but with decisive measures to protect Palestinian rights, land, and existence.
