This statement was written in response to Trump’s statements on Gaza made in late February 2025.
Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) condemns Donald Trump’s recent remarks about the U.S. taking control of Gaza, and his intention to ethnically cleanse Gaza by displacing millions of Palestinians to surrounding countries. Gaza belongs to Palestinians and Palestinians alone, not the U.S. and not Israel. DAWA further condemns his attempts to meddle with the ceasefire agreement by threatening the people of Gaza. Trump’s statements and actions are detestable.
The resistance has held to its end of the ceasefire, releasing prisoners according to the agreed upon schedule and halting military operations against the IOF in Gaza. The Israeli occupation breached the agreement repeatedly, by killing over 90 Palestinians and refusing to allow medical equipment and temporary shelters into Gaza. The delay in the prisoner exchange is a necessary response to ensure Israel keeps its promises.
DAWA condemns Trump and Netanyahu’s illegal, racist plan to displace millions of Palestinians. Their remarks, in Washington and to the Knesset, are designed to undermine the ceasefire agreement.
Their plan has been met by unanimous rejection. Jordan and Egypt have roundly refused the displacement of Gazans into their territory. Yemen has declared its willingness to resume military operations against Israel if the IOF escalates further in Gaza. Iran has condemned the plan, and urged the UN to take a firm, clear stance against it.
However, there is only one stance that ultimately counts in this matter: the stance of the people of Gaza, which was made clear in January, before this plan was even proposed. They cast their votes against displacement by returning in the tens of thousands to the North. They prefer to return to rubble rather than remain displaced from their homes by a few kilometers.
The Israeli occupation that is backed by the U.S. cannot and will not break the will of indigenous people defending their land. Gazans will rebuild their homes, universities, hospitals, and infrastructure and continue to live on their own land. Gaza will never be the site of beachfront hotels and other properties owned by Israelis and/or U.S. investors, as Trump has voiced a desire for.
The primary objective of the IOF in their assault on Gaza was to “destroy Hamas”. Not only did they fail in this objective, they inadvertently strengthened Hamas and the rest of the Palestinian resistance forces. When people are oppressed, especially when people are oppressed to the level that Israel has imposed upon the Palestinian people, they fight back. The hubris displayed by the so-called state of Israel may even be the deciding factor in its demise, which would finally bring forth long-awaited Palestinian liberation.
Until such a time, DAWA will continue to exercise solidarity with the Palestinian people, and we call on all other people and organizations to do so as well. We need not fear the accomplishment of Trump’s poorly conceived goals, but he and Netanyahu will go to incredible lengths and cause tremendous suffering in their attempts to realize these goals. It will take a tremendous effort from the Palestinian people, from the Axis of Resistance, and from the international solidarity movement to resist Trump’s nightmarish vision.