Deporting Palestinians: A Disgraced Former Trump Official’s Reappearance

In an ironic twist of fate, a disgraced former Trump official is now pushing to deport Palestinians from their ancestral home. Ken Kurson, former editor-in-chief of the now-defunct Trump-era outlet Newsmax, is now in charge of the Republican Jewish Coalition’s efforts to push for the deportation of Palestinian residents from the West Bank and Gaza. Kurson was forced to step down from Newsmax in 2020 after being charged with cyberstalking, which caused outrage throughout the Jewish community. Despite the controversy, Kurson has now found a new platform to push his anti-Palestinian agenda through the Republican Jewish Coalition. His mission is to help convince the United States to back an effort that would see thousands of Palestinians deported and replaced with Jewish citizens. However, several prominent Jewish voices have come out against the proposal, noting its moral and legal implications. Many feel that Kurson is using the Republican Jewish Coalition as an avenue to rehabilitate his public image after the scandal. His appointment was also seen as a reward for sticking with the Trump administration throughout its controversial tenure. Kurson’s efforts to deport Palestinians have been met with fierce criticism. Advocacy groups and human rights organizations have blasted the proposal as illegal and unethical. Prominent Jewish figures in the United States have publicly expressed their outrage over the plan and have urged Kurson to resign. Kurson has so far refused to back down, maintaining that the proposed deportation of Palestinians is in the interest of Israeli security. Critics contend that a policy of forced “transfer” of Palestinians, as he calls it, is not only inhumane but also violates international law. It remains to be seen whether Kurson’s efforts to deport Palestinians will have any real effect. But his actions have certainly reignited the debate over the fate of Palestinians in the region. Whatever his motives, it is clear that Ken Kurson’s attempt to deport Palestinians is a move that neither the Jewish nor the Palestinian community can accept.