Swinney attacks Trump’s Gaza ‘take over’ plans as ‘ethnic cleansing’

Scotland’s first minister has said there must be no ethnic cleansing in Gaza after US President Donald Trump proposed taking ownership of the region.

John Swinney described suggestions Palestinians should be removed from their home as “unacceptable and dangerous”.

Trump has previously called for a “clean out” of Gaza, saying Palestinians should be permanently resettled.

Neighbouring countries have firmly rejected the proposals.

Swinney posted on X: “After months of collective punishment and the death of over 40,000 in Gaza, any suggestion Palestinians should be removed from their home is unacceptable and dangerous.

“There must be no ethnic cleansing.

“Only a proper two state solution will bring lasting peace.”

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn called on Sir Keir Starmer’s government to denounce Trump’s comments.

He said: “The prime minister must condemn these dangerous plans in no uncertain terms – and the UK government must speak out, act and pull every diplomatic lever to protect Palestinians.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Labour Environment Secretary Steve Reed said it would be “inappropriate” to provide a “running commentary” on Trump’s statements.

He said the US president “deserves credit for his role” in securing a ceasefire in Gaza.

He added: “The UK government’s view is, and will remain, that Palestinians must be able to return to their homes and rebuild their shattered lives.”

Speaking at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the US would “own” Gaza and “be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site”.

He added that “everyone loves the idea” and that the US would “create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”

“This could be the Riviera of the Middle East,” the president told reporters.

Asked if Palestinians who leave Gaza would be allowed to resettle there in the future, Trump said “the world’s people” would be able to live in the region, including Palestinians.

Netanyahu, who is the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over allegations of war crimes, said the proposal was “worth paying attention to”.

Swinney endorsed Trump’s rival in the US presidential race, Democrat Kamala Harris, but has sought to avoid direct criticism of the former Apprentice star since he returned to the Oval Office.

Trump’s mother was from the Isle of Lewis and and Swinney has repeatedly said he wanted to use his affinity for Scotland to strengthen economic and cultural ties between the nations.

Scottish businesses, particularly Scotch whisky exporters, are keen to avoid a repeat of damaging trade tariffs imposed in Trump’s first presidency.

Until now, harsher criticism from the first minister has been reserved for Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X and member of Trump’s administration. At a speech last month, Swinney describing him as a “populist”.

Ethnic cleansing has not been recognised as an independent crime under international law, though the term has been used in UN resolutions.

A UN commission of experts looking into humanitarian crimes in the former Yugoslavia defined ethnic cleansing as “rendering an area ethnically homogeneous by using force or intimidation to remove persons of given groups from the area”.

The recent conflict between Israel and Gaza began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas fighters stormed into Israeli territory, killing about 1,200 people.

The subsequent war has killed more than 46,600 people in Gaza, including a large number of women and children, according to figures by the Hamas-run health authority.