Texas Democratic Representative Al Green has announced plans to introduce articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump following his controversial remarks suggesting that the United States should take over Gaza.
Speaking on the House floor on Wednesday, Green declared, “The movement to impeach the president has begun. I rise to announce that I will bring articles of impeachment against the president for dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done.”
On Tuesday, during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump floated the idea of the US assuming control of Gaza, stating that Americans should be responsible for rebuilding the war-ravaged region. However, he provided no details on who would be allowed to live there.
These remarks, among the most extreme statements Trump has made on the issue, come in the wake of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last month. The Gaza Strip, home to nearly 2 million Palestinians, remains at the centre of international calls for a sovereign Palestinian state.
Green and other Democrats have strongly condemned Trump’s comments, with some likening the idea to ethnic cleansing.
"Ethnic cleansing is not a joke, especially when it emanates from the president of the United States, the most powerful person in the world," Green said, further criticising Netanyahu’s stance on Gaza.
Quoting Martin Luther King Jr., Green added, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Injustice in Gaza is a threat to justice in the United States of America."
Green was one of the first lawmakers to push for Trump’s impeachment in 2017 and said he is prepared to do so again.
"I know that it’s time for us to lay the foundation again. On some issues, it is better to stand alone than not stand at all. On this issue, I stand alone, but I stand for justice," he said.
He also urged the American people to support the effort, stating that an impeachment movement must be driven by grassroots demands.
"The people have to demand it, and when the people demand it, it will be done," he concluded.
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