Joly won’t say whether ‘abhorrent’ Trump pitch to clear Gaza means ethnic cleansing

Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly discusses Canada-United States relations during a luncheon with the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal in Montreal on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi)

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly won’t say whether she thinks U.S. President Donald Trump is proposing ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip - but she is calling his recent comments “abhorrent.”

Trump stunned leaders across the Middle East and beyond this week when he suggested that the Palestinian territory be cleared out and made into a U.S.-owned resort destination.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he has instructed Israeli’s military to draft a plan to evacuate any Palestinian “who wishes to leave” Gaza for countries such as Canada.

Human Rights Watch and similar groups say Trump’s plan would amount to ethnic cleansing — a view shared by International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen and Justice Minister Arif Virani.

Asked twice whether she agrees, Joly cited Canada’s long-held stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict and said “the comments were abhorrent.”

She said Palestinians have a right to self-determination and argued that the best future for the Middle East is a two-state solution, with a Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel.

“We don’t believe in the forced displacement of people and we think that everything we do must be in accordance with international law,” Joly told the Halifax Chamber of Commerce on Friday.

She said a two-state solution would allow Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel and create more stability in the Middle East.

Joly added that countries should focus on putting “maximum pressure against Iran” to stop working with Russia and China to sow instability in the region.

— With files from Michael MacDonald in Halifax.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press