Michael Rosen’s response to Trump’s plan for Gaza
There will be much analysis as well as shock at Trump’s declaration that Palestinians should leave Gaza, which he deems only a demolition site. Then somehow the US will own it, do the work needed to clear and rebuild and presumably create a holiday resort for people from across the world with” thousands of jobs” and peace. We shall certainly publish the analysis in due course but in the context of the shock, we are pleased to publish two poems by Michael Rosen, the first below he published today (February 5th) on Facebook that makes clear links with the Nazi period. The other, that he republished today but had written before predicts, perhaps with irony, the outcome of Trump’s previous earlier references to Gaza as “prime real estate”.
Trump did refer (sort of ) to the suffering of the Palestinian people when he said: “You look over the decades, it’s all death in Gaza. This has been happening for years. It’s all death.” and “If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people, permanently, in nice homes where they can be happy and not be shot and not be killed and not be knifed to death like what’s happening in Gaza.” However, he seems to have no clue as to why there has been so much death in Gaza.
Meanwhile there has been “Global Shock” and even some key western leaders, Starmer among them, have made it clear that they do not support Trump on this. (the quotes below are taken from this article
“The civilian population of Gaza must not be displaced and Gaza must not be permanently occupied or resettled,” Germany’s Baerbock said Wednesday. “The expulsion of the Palestinian civilian population from Gaza would not only be unacceptable and contrary to international law” but it would also cause “new suffering and new hatred.”
“We are sticking to our policy: no displacement of populations, the search for a temporary cease-fire toward a peace process and a two-state solution,” the French government spokesperson added.
“They must be allowed home,” British prime minister Starmer said in the House of Commons Wednesday lunchtime. “They must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution.”
The notion that a two state solution is still a possibility is, shall we say, debateable, but at least there is recognition that Palestinians belong in Gaza.
LL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Searching for peace
is always a bit of a hunt
it’s why we let Hitler
have Sudetenland.
And Hitler said thanks
that claim is the last
my ambitions for land
are all in the past.
Chamberlain said it
(but not in rhyme)
I’ve got the solution!
Peace in our time.
Hitler meanwhile
gave us a sign
wherever he went
would be judenrein.
in case you’re asking
what does this mean?
It meant no Jews
the place would be ‘clean’
Trump’s on to it too,
You can hear him sing:
He says he’ll ‘clean out’
what he calls ‘the whole thing’
But it doesn’t end there
today he had the face
to say he’ll send troops
to occupy the place.
Luckily we have
great liberal sages
who safeguard our freedoms
all down the ages.
They will defend us
they’re on our side
They will safeguard us
from this genocide.
They will be outraged
by this murderous vision
and attack it with wit
and deadly precision.
We haven’t noticed
their justification
for mass killing
and devastation.
In fact and of course
they are always persistent
in speaking in tongues
and being inconsistent.
It’s us who must shout out
it’s us who must persist
it’s us who most protest
it’s us who must resist.
Michael Rosen (5th February 2025)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His earlier prescient poem
and no one here has blood on their hands
MELT
The day that Trump announced the US
was taking over Gaza and going to develop
the seafront (in particular) as prime real estate
after removing the Palestinians (maybe some
could stay on as hotel workers, maids and so
forth) there was ice on the rooftops opposite
and the dawn was a couple of minutes late
in coming, but the birds were singing just
as loud as yesterday and America’s cousins
(the ones who buy their secret potions
spray deodorants, hand creams, lotions)
pointed to the sky and told us all to listen.
Robins, blackbirds,
the obvious culprits. Ignore
what Donald says it’ll likely come to nothing.
There is such beauty
when you dare to notice
the obvious things around you. If Palestine
disappears, you can say the ice just melted.
Thank God for Michael Rosen
Michael Rosen, Wow, how seemingly prescient your poem”the beach on the Med” is. You visited my grandson’s primary school in Cambridge and inspired him to support a local homeless charity, your words inspire me to do what I can to redress injustice around me.
I can understand people’s outrage at the latest edict from Donald Trump. However, his political career to date demonstrates that it is a mistake to take him too literally. He likes creating outrage and the attention it causes pleases his ego. He does deliver in the USA, though not always in the way originally stated. Overseas his claims usually change. I think we should defend the Palestinians but do so with a simple ‘no’ and treat Trump with quiet opposition. He assumes, with some supporting evidence, that other leaders in the west lack backbone.
I know he is dangerous, but this is in particular within the USA. His actions there do bear some resemblance to Eiurope in the 1930s.