UN says ‘any forced displacement is ethnic cleansing’

Stéphane Dujarric, the Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during the press conference at the UN in New York, United States on June 24, 2024. [Selçuk Acar/Anadolu Agency]

The UN refrained on Wednesday from commenting directly on US President Donald Trump’s reported plans to take control of Gaza following the displacement of Palestinians. However, it confirmed that any forced displacement constitutes “ethnic cleansing” under international law.

During a press briefing in New York, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric was asked whether Secretary-General António Guterres views Trump’s reported plans for Gaza as ethnic cleansing. “Any forced displacement of a population amounts to ethnic cleansing,” he replied.

Although Dujarric declined to comment directly on Trump’s plans, he announced that Guterres was set to deliver a speech later on Wednesday at a meeting of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP).

READ: Israel moves to implement ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza

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