NewsNation’s Leland Vittert and Niall Stanage Clash Over Trump and Gaza: ‘We’re Not Defending Ethnic Cleansing!’

NewsNation’s Leland Vittert clashed with political analyst Niall Stanage on Wednesday as the pair debated the future of Gaza and President Donald Trump’s talk of taking it over.

On NewsNation’s On Balance, Vittert was joined by former State Department official Joel Rubin and The Hill’s Stanage to debate Trump’s talk this week of moving Palestinians out of Gaza and the United States taking control of the land.

Stanage compared the move to ethnic cleansing, while Vittert argued Gaza has become little more than “rubble” controlled by the terror group Hamas.

“It is up to the Palestinians to decide where they live. It is not up to the president of the United—” Stanage said before Vittert jumped back in.

“I’m sorry, it was not up to the million-plus Jews living in the Arab world when they were all kicked out of Arab lands over the past 50 or 60,” Vittert said.

“But why are we then defending the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians if we agree that the ethnic cleansing of Jewish people is wrong?” Stanage asked.

“We’re not defending ethnic cleansing, and by definition, people are told that those who are, quote, living in Gaza are refugees. So if an area is complete rubble, you’re just saying we should abandon the Palestinians and let them go back to rubble?” Vittert shot back.

Vittert also objected when Stanage noted that more than 45,000 people in Gaza have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war. Researchers have recently argued that the death toll in Gaza could be as much as 40% higher than what has been reported by local health officials.

“According to a terrorist organization,” Vittert said when Stanage brought up the death toll — referring to Hamas’ control of Gaza.

Vittert admitted at the end of the panel discussion that not much progress had not been made on the complex issue of Gaza’s future. “I don’t think we solved this problem today,” he said.

Check out the exchange below:

NIALL STANAGE: “It is up to the Palestinians to decide where they live. It is not up to the president of the United—”

LELAND VITTERT: “It was not up to the million plus Jews living in the Arab world when they were all kicked out of Arab lands over the past 50 or 60 years.”

STANAGE: “Right, wrongly.”

VITTERT: “It wasn’t up to them.”

STANAGE: “But why are we then defending the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians if we agree that the ethnic cleansing of Jewish people is wrong?”

VITTERT: “We’re not defending ethnic cleansing and by definition, people are told that those who are, quote, living in Gaza are refugees. So if an area is complete rubble, you’re just saying we should abandon the Palestinians and let them go back to rubble?”

STANAGE: “No, I’m not. I’m saying it is up to the people of the Palestinian territories to decide where they wish to live. It is not up to Donald Trump and it’s not up to the US military. It is not up to Benjamin Netanyahu to dictate to another people where they should live. If those people are on their own.”

VITTERT: “Unless they are using that land to commit terrorist acts and to start wars. But Joel, I ask you this question. Yeah, okay. Where is Egypt? Where is Jordan? Where is the Arab world that says they care so much about the Palestinians? And why does the US media ignore all of that in this story?”

Watch above via NewsNation.

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