Malaysia calls Trump plan to move Palestinians from Gaza ‘ethnic cleansing’

Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan says Asean governments have unanimously agreed that the proposal is unacceptable

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People hold placards during a silent protest in solidarity with Palestinian people in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in June 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:54am, 6 Feb 2025Updated: 4:53pm, 6 Feb 2025

Malaysia said on Thursday the proposal by US President Donald Trump to remove Palestinians from Gaza was “ethnic cleansing” and Southeast Asian nations had unanimously rejected the idea, which bulldozed all rights of the Muslim group.

Trump on Wednesday in a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a plan for “long-term ownership” of Gaza by the United States that included relocating the territory’s residents elsewhere.

The comments by the notoriously bombastic president were later nuanced by his spokeswoman, but have still caused anxiety and outrage over the potential for Palestinians who have endured nearly a year and a half of conflict to be expelled from their land.

Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said that all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) agreed that any attempt to remove Palestinians from Gaza was unacceptable.

“Our stated position is that Asean and Malaysia as chair this year do not agree with any form of violation of international laws,” Mohamad told parliament on Thursday.

“We do not agree with any violation of UN charters. We do not agree with violations of human rights, the Geneva Convention or others.”

This is the first joint position taken by Asean on US foreign policy since Trump returned to the White House for a second term on January 20.