UN Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a strong condemnation of any attempt at "ethnic cleansing" in the Gaza Strip, directly addressing remarks by US President Donald Trump who suggested the displacement of Palestinians from the war-torn enclave. Guterres emphasized the inalienable right of Palestinians to live on their own land, denouncing the "systematic and horrific dehumanization and demonization of an entire people."
While acknowledging the unjustifiable nature of Hamas attacks on October 7th, Guterres also condemned the "catalogue of destruction and unspeakable horrors" inflicted by Israel in Gaza over recent months. He reiterated that any forced deportation or transfer of population constitutes a crime against humanity, citing Article 7 of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Guterres' statement follows Trump's proposal to relocate Gaza's residents and transform the Palestinian enclave into a "French Riviera of the Middle East." This proposal has been met with unanimous condemnation from the international community.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, further confirmed that any forced transfer or expulsion of individuals from occupied territories is strictly prohibited.
The potential US takeover of Gaza, according to Guterres, would violate the principle of territorial integrity, a cornerstone of international law, and the inviolability of borders. Article 2, Section 1 of the UN Charter guarantees the "sovereign equality" of states, meaning one state cannot unilaterally seize another's territory.
Exceptions to this principle exist during wartime, as defined in Article 42 of the Hague Regulations of 1907. However, the US is not currently engaged in a war with the authorities in Gaza.
The second exception, a rare occurrence, requires a UN Security Council resolution establishing a temporary international administration. In 1999, Resolution 1244 authorized the establishment of a "civil international presence" in Kosovo, leading to the implementation of provisional self-governing institutions.
Iran has also condemned Trump's proposal, calling it an extension of Israel's agenda to eliminate the Palestinian nation.