A Trump-appointed member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Board has called for collective punishment of all Palestinians in Gaza, saying they are “collectively guilty” and deserve no mercy.

In an article in the Jerusalem Post, Martin Oehler praised President Trump's proposal to "cleanse" Palestinians from Gaza and send them to Egypt and Jordan, which amounts to ethnic cleansing.

Olner said in the article, which was reported in a number of American media outlets, that Trump's comments should be welcomed by those "who claim to care about Gaza" because Gaza has been completely destroyed. He said: "And those like me who do not believe that the people of Gaza deserve any mercy should welcome them as well."

About half of Gaza’s population is estimated to be children, but Olner said all Palestinians in the Strip were responsible for Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on the Gaza envelope area in southern Israel. “Let’s not exaggerate here,” he said. “The people of Gaza are collectively guilty of Israel’s invasion.”

The people of Gaza are "fundamentally evil and must pay for their actions," Olner said.

He called on the countries of the world to receive the Palestinians from Gaza. He said: "In addition to Egypt and Jordan, other Islamic countries such as Indonesia and Saudi Arabia should receive them. Canada, Australia, Mexico and every country in South America and Europe can take their share."

Olner, the son of Holocaust survivors, was appointed to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council by President Trump in 2020. He is also co-chair of the Religious Zionists of America and vice chair of the American Zionist Movement.