CAIR-NJ Rejects Trump’s Threat to Take Over Gaza as Racist Settler Colonialism, Supports Right of Return 

CAIR-NJ Rejects Trump’s Threat to Take Over Gaza as Racist Settler Colonialism, Supports Right of Return 

(Newark, NJ – 2/5/2025) – The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) today said President Trump’s suggestion for the U.S. to take over The Gaza Strip is inherently racist and deeply rooted in settler colonialism, condemning the oppression of all people.

Video: Trump says ‘U.S. will take over The Gaza Strip’ and ‘own it.’

In a statement, CAIR-New Jersey Communications Manager Aya Elamroussi said:

“Gaza has always belonged to the Palestinian people. We’ve seen them return to ashes and rubble, and we will see them rebuild it before our eyes the same way we saw our American dollars fund the bombs that obliterated entire cities, homes, and families.

President Trump’s comments on expelling the Palestinian people from Gaza are not only dangerous and delusional— they are also inherently racist.  We will always reject settler colonialism, and we must condemn the oppression of all people.

Suggesting the displacement of more than 2 million people from their own homeland is a crime against humanity by all measures. The entire world must know that the only way to achieve justice and peace is to end Israel’s gruesome apartheid system in and the occupation of the Palestinian people.”  

Trump’s brazen remarks come when the fragile ceasefire agreement made last month is facing growing doubts, fears, and anxieties, coming under intense scrutiny as Israel continues its bombardment across Palestine.

CAIR National responded Tuesday to Trump’s call for Palestinian ethnic cleansing, saying “Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, not the United States, and President Trump’s call to displace Palestinians from their land either temporarily or permanently is an absolute non-starter.”

Egyptian, Jordanian, and Saudi Arabia leaders dismissed Trump’s calls to resettle Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has killed more than 64,000 people in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to a major study published last month in The Lancet journal. Nearly 60% of those were women, children and elderly people, the study also found.

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

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CONTACT: CAIR-NJ Communications Manager Aya Elamroussi, 551-208-5482, aelamroussi@cair.com

PHOTO DETAILS: Displaced Palestinians return to Rafah, as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect, in Rafah, Gaza Strip on Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)