Legarda condemns Trump's proposed displacement of Palestinian People in Gaza

PHILIPPINES, February 8 - Press Release
February 7, 2025

Legarda condemns Trump's proposed displacement of Palestinian People in Gaza

Senator Loren Legarda has expressed serious condemnation of U.S. President Donald Trump's alarming proposal to "take over" and "own" the Gaza Strip, along with the relocation of its Palestinian residents to neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt, as remarked during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 4, 2025.

"It is deeply troubling and unacceptable that, after enduring fifteen harrowing months of violence, and decades of continued oppression, Palestinians now clinging on to the last fragments of their destroyed homes in Gaza face the cruel prospect of forced displacement," Legarda stated.

President Trump's pronouncement comes just weeks after a ceasefire and hostage-release deal was brokered between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, following relentless conflict that has left Gaza in devastation, with nearly 62,000 Palestinians killed.

"It is inconceivable that, in the 21st century, we are witnessing proposals for the mass expulsion of an entire population, effectively erasing them from their homeland, stripping away their identity, and reducing them to permanent refugees. Such an act is not only unconscionable but echoes the darkest chapters of history," Legarda emphasized.

President Trump said that the US will have "long-term ownership" of Gaza and will reconstruct it into the "Riviera of the Middle East" with the "world's people" living there. Gaza, home to approximately 2.1 million people after the war, nearly 47% of whom are children under the age of 18, has suffered catastrophic damage. Around 92% of its housing units have been destroyed, and critical infrastructure, including water and electricity systems, hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, and cultural landmarks, has been severely damaged.

"Gaza is not a token to be owned, traded, or negotiated away. It belongs to the Palestinian people, and it must remain theirs. To suggest otherwise, under the pretext of redevelopment, is a grave injustice that must not be tolerated. Any efforts to rebuild Gaza must make it unequivocally clear that the Palestinians will remain on their land," she added.

In its advisory opinion issued on 19 July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) determined that Israel's continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is illegal. Furthermore, on 21 November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu following an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

"The presence of Palestinians in Gaza is not the problem; the real issue lies in the continued illegal occupation of their land, the systemic oppression of their people, and the entrenched inequalities they face. Proposals like this reflect a dangerous mindset rooted in colonial arrogance, which not only threatens the future of Gaza but the very foundation of the international rules-based order."

The four-term Senator described the plan as a "blatant disregard for the most basic principles of the international law," including the prohibition against the annexation of territory by force and the forcible resettlement of populations in occupied territories, which often entails conditions that attack the civilian population, potentially amounting to crimes against humanity.

"What catastrophic consequences might follow if we allow such brazen violations of international law to continue unchallenged, now reaching unprecedented levels? I simply cannot remain silent on this matter because indifference will only encourage other nations to pursue territorial expansion through aggression without fear of accountability. Silence will normalize this, and I will not be complicit. International law exists precisely to prevent such transgressions and safeguard global stability," Legarda stressed.

UN Secretary-General Ant�nio Guterres, in a statement, stressed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to live as human beings in their own land, urged a permanent ceasefire, called for adherence to international law in search of solutions, and reaffirmed the two-state solution as the only sustainable path to Middle East stability.

Legarda emphasized that regardless of whether President Trump's remarks were made in earnest or as political posturing, they carry dangerous implications that the international community should not ignore. She called for immediate diplomatic efforts to address the situation and reaffirm the global commitment to justice and human rights.

"The international community must reject, without reservation, any proposals that bear even the faintest shadow of ethnic cleansing. While such actions clearly constitute violations of international law, the pressing question remains: who will step in to prevent them? We must focus on meaningful, sustainable solutions that pave the way for a just and stable future, grounded in the principles of international law," Legarda concluded.