Trump Admin Expands Anti-Palestinian Attacks; Gaza Ethnic Cleansing Proposal Revealed | Palestine Policy Roundup 09.02.25
Welcome to the Palestine Policy Roundup, a weekly publication of the IMEU Policy Project.
👀 ICYMI: MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SPEAK OUT
Rep. Delia Ramirez: “The brutal bombing and murder of 20 people--including health care workers and journalists--is not just ‘a tragic mishap.’ It is a war crime. And not the first. We have seen repeated atrocities perpetrated by the Netanyahu Administration. We cannot allow Netanyahu's genocide to continue. We need to pass the Block The Bombs Act in Congress and end the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel NOW.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren: “Netanyahu's callous disregard for human life is staggering. The U.S. cannot send another penny to the Israeli government to be used to kill innocent Palestinians, doctors, nurses, and the journalists who are working to give each of them a voice.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal: “The Israeli military bombed a Gaza hospital TWICE, killing 5 journalists and at least 15 others. They continue to violate both U.S. and international law. We must end our complicity in this massacre and stop providing the weapons that fuel this genocide.”
Rep. Ayanna Pressley: “Babies in Gaza deserve to grow up. No child should cry out in hungry desperation. No child should endure the trauma of bombs overhead. No child should bury their loved ones. Ceasefire now. Aid surge now. Offensive arms embargo now. Baby formula now.”
Rep. Lateefah Simon: “The genocide in Gaza demands moral clarity & decisive action. As infants die of starvation, we cannot look away. I joined @RepPressley and @RepPettersen in demanding @SecRubio facilitate an end to the Israeli blockade and ensure that food and baby formula enter Gaza immediately.”
DC DEVELOPMENTS
🛑 TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ESCALATES AND EXPANDS ANTI-PALESTINIAN VISA SUSPENSIONS
Over the weekend, the Trump administration expanded the anti-Palestinian racist nature of the extremist MAGA agenda by suspending visa approvals for nearly all Palestinians who hold passports issued by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and revoking visas of PA officials just weeks before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
These actions come only a few weeks after the administration halted the issuance of visas for children seeking medical care in the US.
On Friday, the visas of more than 80 PA officials, including that of President Mahmoud Abbas, were revoked by the State Department for the express purpose of preventing their participation in the upcoming UNGA meetings, where Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and recognition of a Palestinian state are likely to be discussed extensively. This measure is a violation of international law and US obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement.
Clearly the intent of this action is to shut out Palestinian voices in discussions about their freedom, dignity, and self-determination. The State Department’s announcement further clarifies this intent by citing Palestinians’ seeking of accountability through the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court as among its reasons for taking this action.
And on Sunday, The New York Times reported that the State Department issued measures to US diplomatic offices that would block Palestinians who live in Gaza, the West Bank, and elsewhere from receiving visas for visiting friends or relatives, medical treatment, university education, or business travel. This effective visa ban will almost certainly affect many Palestinian-American families whose relatives live in occupied Palestinian territories.
The measures are targeted at Palestinians who use PA-issued passports to apply for these visas. Hala Rharrit, a former State Department official who resigned from the Biden administration because of its unrelenting support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza, called this measure “an open-ended refusal” of these applications.
The cable ordering these measures was reportedly issued the same week that the State Department publicly announced its pause on the issuance of visas for Palestinian children seeking medical treatment for injuries caused by Israel’s genocide.
Last week, more than 140 Representatives sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio denouncing this pause and urging the State Department to reverse its decision. The letter criticized the State Department’s lack of detail in its announcement and correctly points out the abject immorality of preventing children from receiving lifesaving medical care.
These announcements advance the extremist MAGA agenda of undermining international institutions that attempt to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law. They also provide a specific anti-Palestinian character to the Trump administration’s racist persecution of immigrants and foreign nationals within the US. Members of Congress should speak out against this clear anti-Palestinian racism.
🚨 LEAKED WHITE HOUSE PLAN ENVISIONS ETHNIC CLEANSING OF PALESTINIANS FROM GAZA, AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF AREA
On Sunday, The Washington Post revealed that a plan which envisions President Trump’s ethnic cleansing and occupation of Gaza is circulating in the White House. This report comes days after the Trump administration held meetings about a “day after” in Gaza that featured President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose think tank worked on the proposal.
The leaked White House prospectus, which was reportedly developed by Israelis behind the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s weaponization of food scheme, outlines the establishment of a US-backed viceroyalty that would oversee the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza through meager financial incentives and cryptocurrency.
The plan was described as “a blueprint for mass deportation” by Philip Grant, the Executive Director of human rights group Trial International to The Guardian. It makes a mockery of Palestinian dignity: Palestinians would be offered $5,000 and some subsidies to leave, and those who choose to stay in Gaza would be restricted to ghettos. There is also no guarantee that Palestinians who leave would be allowed to return to Gaza.
It also offers a false veneer of Palestinian self-determination that is conditioned on the acceptance of the Abraham Accords and that would effectively cede the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland in violation of international law. This illustrates a clear throughline between the ethnic cleansing plan and the Nakba, or “catastrophe” in English: today 70% of Palestinians who live in Gaza are refugees who fled from their homes or were expelled by Israel in 1948 and not permitted to return.
The proposal calls for the construction of projects named after President Trump, Elon Musk, and others. These projects are clearly not intended to benefit Palestinians. It also outlines severe restrictions on Palestinian freedom enforced through mass surveillance and artificial intelligence.
While it is not immediately clear if the prospectus was discussed at the recent White House meeting or whether it reflects administration policy, it clearly signals the seriousness of the Trump administration’s ethnic cleansing proposal, which is also in line with long-standing Israeli plans for the mass deportation of Palestinians from Gaza.
US and Israeli efforts to negotiate with countries willing to be complicit in this plan also seemingly align with the prospectus’ stated goals. Both the US and Israel have reportedly discussed deporting Palestinians to Ethiopia, Indonesia, Libya, South Sudan, and Somaliland–a breakaway region of Somalia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the ICC for his responsibility in alleged war crimes committed in Gaza, and other Israeli ministers have also repeatedly claimed publicly that they seek to effectuate President Trump’s ethnic cleansing proposal through Israel’s violent occupation and flattening of Gaza, along with its forced displacement of more than 1 million Palestinians currently residing or sheltering there.
IN THE NEWS
⛓️ MORE THAN 100 US-BASED NGOs CALL ON ISRAEL TO RELEASE PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN TEENAGER
More than 100 US-based NGOs sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to ensure the release of Mohammed Ibrahim, a Palestinian-American child who has been detained by Israel since February. The NGOs write that Ibrahim is suffering from scabies and rapid weight loss due to abuse and denial of food, medication, and medical treatment by Israeli authorities, and that his life is on the line.
Mohammed Ibrahim was abducted by the Israeli military after a raid on his family’s home in the West Bank. He was 15 when the Israeli military blindfolded him, tied his hands behind his back, and took him. Mohammed is from Palm Bay, Florida and splits his time to go to the West Bank to see loved ones. He is also the cousin of Sayfollah Musallet, a Palestinian-American who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in July.
The organizations wrote that Mohammed was being detained in Israel’s notorious Ofer prison, which is known for its abuse of child detainees, after being transferred from Megiddo prison. Mohammed’s detention in Megiddo is a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention because it is outside of occupied Palestinian territory, constituting a deportation of Mohammed to the territory of an occupying power.
According to Defense for Children International-Palestine, more than 300 children are being held by Israeli authorities, and more than 100 of them are being held without charge or trial in administrative detention. In March, Israeli authorities killed Walid Khalid Abdullah Ahmad, a child who was detained in Megiddo Prison, through systematic starvation and the denial of medical treatment.
📊 NEW POLL FINDS MAJORITY OF AMERICANS WANT TO END WEAPONS TO ISRAEL
A new poll published by Quinnipiac University found that 60% of voters oppose sending more US weapons to Israel in a further shift in support for Palestinian rights. This shift is even more marked among Democrats, who by a four to one margin support ending weapons deliveries to Israel (77% to 18%). Independents also support ending weapons to Israel by a more than two to one margin (66% to 27%).
This ongoing shift in support for ending weapons deliveries to Israel is undoubtedly a result of nearly two years of Israel’s live-streamed genocide being broadcast onto the screens of Americans.
The poll found that 77% of Democrats believe Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza–more than seven times the percentage of Democrats who say Israel is not committing genocide (11%). 63% of Democrats also expressed more sympathy for Palestinians compared to those who expressed sympathy for Israelis (13%).
This well-documented pattern also makes clear that support for Palestinian rights, and particularly support for ending weapons transfers to Israel, will be electoral assets in upcoming midterm elections. Members of Congress are also increasingly heeding the call of voters: over the course of the August recess, 14 Representatives signed on to the Block the Bombs Act.
This is yet another poll that contributes to the mountain of evidence of growing support for Palestinian rights among the Democratic Party’s base. Democratic voters are clear in their convictions–and Democratic elected officials and party leaders must listen and respond if they wish to mount a serious fight against the extremist MAGA agenda in 2026 and 2028.
💡 POLICY ASK: IMEU Policy Project strongly urges all Representatives to cosponsor the historic Block the Bombs Act to ensure that US laws regarding weapons transfers are upheld.
📖 LEARN MORE Check out IMEU Policy Project’s policy memo on the need for the Block the Bombs Act.
📣 TAKE ACTION: Write to your Representative and urge them to sign on to the Block the Bombs Act, or thank them for signing on!
PALESTINE/ISRAEL DEVELOPMENTS
🏥 ISRAEL KILLS JOURNALISTS, RESCUE WORKERS IN STRIKE ON NASSER HOSPITAL
Just over a week ago, an Israeli attack on Nasser Hospital killed at least 20 Palestinians, including rescue workers and five journalists, in Israel’s latest assault on Palestinians and its latest flagrant violation of international law.
According to multiple independent investigations, Israel targeted the hospital in a “double tap” strike and shelled the building at least twice. Investigations published by The New York Times and CNN confirm that the building was targeted twice and that three projectiles were fired at the hospital by the Israeli military. Israel has routinely used this procedure to target and deliberately kill rescue workers and paramedics during its genocide in Gaza.
Weapons specialist N.R. Jenzen-Jones told CNN that the short window between the second and third shell impacts suggests that two tanks may have fired simultaneously, which itself suggests that this attack was coordinated. This directly refutes Israel’s narrative about the attack and provides further evidence that this incident must be investigated as a possible war crime.
The five journalists who were killed in the strike were Hussam Al-Masri, Moaz Abu Taha, Mohammad Salama, Mariam Abu Dagga and Ahmed Abu Aziz. The location in which they were killed was a well-known gathering spot for reporters to upload their content and was frequently used by news outlets for live reporting. This attack comes just a few weeks after Israel deliberately targeted Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif and other journalists in an attack on their media tent in the courtyard of Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
The deliberate targeting and killing of journalists, rescue workers, and attacks on hospitals all violate international humanitarian law. Israel’s apparently deliberate attack also likely violates US law, specifically the Arms Export Control Act (AECA). In order to bring the US into compliance with the AECA and end US complicity in Israel’s genocide, Members of Congress should exercise their oversight authority and end weapons deliveries to Israel.
🏠 ISRAEL BEGINS INVASION OF GAZA CITY, BEGINS FORCIBLY DISPLACING MORE THAN 1 MILLION PALESTINIANS
Last Friday, Israel declared Gaza City to be a combat zone and reportedly began its invasion of the area as it begins forcibly displacing the more than 1 million Palestinians who were sheltering there. Areas in and around Gaza City were the final places in northern Gaza that were not under displacement orders, and many Palestinians returned to the area during the ceasefire earlier this year before it was unilaterally broken by Israel.
Many Palestinians cannot afford to leave Gaza City. Because of fuel shortages caused by Israel’s near-total blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid, driving from northern Gaza to southern Gaza can cost more than $600.
🔑 KEY TAKEAWAY: Ramy, a resident of an area just north of Gaza City, described his displacement to Drop Site News: “We’re leaving, but we don’t know where to go. We want to leave, but to where? There is no safe place in Gaza. Even going south is difficult, and circumstances are hard. To go from the north to the south—you have no money, no transportation. It’s extremely difficult, disastrous. There is no healthcare, no food, no aid, no tents, no anything. This is eternal displacement. Not just forced—eternal. What we’re seeing is that it’s eternal. Our children are getting sick, our women are getting sick, people are dying from hunger, and in the end we’re being displaced.”
The Israeli military is also relentlessly bombing areas of Gaza City into which its soldiers and tanks have not yet moved. On Saturday, Israeli attacks killed 47 Palestinians just in Gaza City.
On the same day as Israel announced the start of this invasion, it also announced that it would end pauses in fighting that supposedly allowed for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the area. While the trickle of aid that has been allowed into Gaza since Israel began its blockade has been far from adequate to meet the needs of Palestinians, this decision is likely to deepen the starvation of Palestinians who remain in the area. This also comes just after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification announced that famine is present in areas in and around Gaza City.
Palestinians who are forcibly displaced to southern Gaza are still not safe from Israeli attacks even if they go to areas where they have been instructed to go by the Israeli military. An analysis by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz found that several of the areas are considered combat zones by Israel and that Palestinians would not be allowed to go there. Additionally, the area that Israel ordered Palestinians to move to is less than 3 square miles, and other Palestinians are already sheltering there.
As Israel pursues this campaign of forced displacement, it is also destroying residential areas in Gaza City. This deliberate and systematic destruction of Palestinian homes is likely meant to facilitate the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza by leaving them with nowhere to return.
Photo: Ron Adar, via Shutterstock. Stock Photo ID: 1977145988