February 13, 2025
Dear friend,
To say it has been chaotic recently is understating things. Last week, at a press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump surprised the world by presenting an illegal, immoral plan for Gaza and its residents. According to this plan, all of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip—approximately 2 million people—will be transferred to nearby countries. He later added that after the transfer, they will not be permitted to return. Since the announcement, it was reported that Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, is already moving forward with creating the conditions for this plan to be implemented by ordering the military to prepare a plan allowing for the “voluntary departure” of Gaza’s residents.
Political and public discourse has been full of talk that treats Trump’s plan as if it is legitimate, as if population transfers and ethnic cleansing are normal solutions to the crises at hand. Your confusion and horror are the appropriate reactions. You are not going crazy. Population transfers and ethnic cleansing are war crimes and crimes against humanity. The day after the plan was announced, we sent a letter to Netanyahu and Katz, laying out in the strongest terms the ways in which this plan, if implemented, would violate international law. We also emphasized how much damage the plan has already done by normalizing talk of crimes against humanity. As we stated:
At this stage, much remains unclear. However, the following is certain: war crimes and crimes against humanity are being normalized...[A]ny Gaza resident who wishes to leave should be allowed to do so, provided they are entitled to return whenever they choose. However, the rehabilitation of Gaza cannot be achieved by uprooting and expelling its residents, and the war’s destruction cannot serve as justification for such actions. Forcibly transferring Gaza’s residents is forbidden...and it is also prohibited to achieve this indirectly...such as by creating unbearable living conditions. This is an absolute prohibition under international law—one that is binding, regardless of whether or not a state consents to it—and there are no exceptions.
You can read a translation of the full letter here. We will continue to pursue any and all legal avenues to prevent this proposal from becoming a reality, and we will continue to keep you posted about our work.
You know how important protecting human rights are, even if leaders are calling for illegally and immorally violating them. Donate now.