Tuesday, 11 February 2025.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) strongly condemns the latest genocidal declaration by Donald Trump, in which he openly calls for the forced and permanent removal of Palestinians from Gaza so that the United States of America (USA), supported by Israel, can rebuild the territory without them. This confirms what has been evident for decades: the Zionist Israeli regime, with support from the United States, has been systematically erasing the Palestinian people from their own land.

Trump has shamelessly stated that Palestinians should have no right to return to Gaza and instead be permanently relocated, claiming that they would be given “much better housing” elsewhere. He has suggested that Jordan or Egypt could be forced into taking in the displaced population, despite both nations rejecting such proposals. His remarks expose the long-standing Zionist plan to depopulate Gaza of Palestinians entirely while keeping the land for Israel’s exclusive use.

This is not a new policy—it is the final step in a campaign of destruction that has left Gaza in ruins, with entire families wiped out and all critical infrastructure, including hospitals, universities, and historical sites, systematically demolished. Additionally, there are already over 8 million displaced Palestinians across the world, who were violently uprooted and have been unjustly denied their right to return to their home country since the initial occupation and Nakba in 1948.

The so-called ceasefire, which was supposed to allow for humanitarian relief, has proven to be yet another deception. While some Palestinians have attempted to return to Gaza, they have found nothing but devastation, sleeping in makeshift tents or on the streets without basic necessities. Many have been shot dead by Israeli forces simply for trying to return to their homes, which have either been destroyed or remain uninhabitable. Aid deliveries have been blocked, and the Red Cross has been unable to recover the bodies of those murdered by the Israeli military.

At the same time, Israel has escalated its attacks in the West Bank, killing, detaining, and oppressing Palestinians under the cover of its so-called security operations. Over 70 people have been killed in the West Bank since the beginning of the year, with over 26,000 internally displaced since attacks began in December. It is evident that Israel never intended for the ceasefire to be a step toward peace— it is merely a tactical pause before resuming its genocidal campaign.

We are not surprised by Trump’s sentiments, given his long history of siding with white supremacist and far-right groups worldwide. His current support for extreme right-wing forces in South Africa is nothing more than an attempt to punish the country for taking Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rightly declare that what is happening in Palestine is a genocide and that action must be taken. While Trump falsely accuses the South African government of conducting “land grabs” from Afrikaners and threatens economic sanctions, he boldly supports the violent dispossession of Palestinians. This hypocrisy is not lost on us—it is the hallmark of white supremacy, colonisation, and the cruelty of imperialism.

Furthermore, Trump’s threats against the International Criminal Court (ICC) demonstrate his commitment to shielding war criminals. In retaliation for the ICC’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence minister, Trump has moved to sanction the court, seeking to cripple its ability to hold perpetrators accountable. This is a blatant attack on global justice, made even more absurd by the fact that the USA is not a signatory to the Rome Statute and has no authority over the ICC. It is clear that the USA only supports international law when it can be weaponised against its enemies but will undermine it when it threatens their imperialist interests.

The EFF reiterates its support for the Palestinian people and their right to resist occupation by any means necessary. We call on all progressive forces across the world to reject the genocidal policies of Israel and its backers, including Donald Trump and the United States government. The world must stand against this atrocity, or history will remember it as the greatest failure of humanity.