Did God Command Ethnic Cleansing?

God intended for the Jews to live in the land he promised them.  The problem is:  this land was already occupied by other people.  In telling the Jews to “take” the land, did God command genocide or ethnic cleansing?  This is a difficult and often misunderstood part of the Old Testament history.  How can a God of love be responsible for wiping out “innocent” people, for the sake of his own…or were they innocent?