TEHRAN – Immediately after Israel began its war with Gaza on October 7, 2023, plans to forcibly expel Palestinians from the coastal enclave and ethnically cleanse them were immediately put into motion.
Almost a week after the start of the genocidal war, Israel’s Ministry of Intelligence drafted a wartime proposal to relocate the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million population to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
The offer, dated October 13, was first released by local news outlet Sicha Mekomit.
It proposed relocating Gazan civilians to tent cities in northern Sinai, followed by the construction of a permanent city and an unspecified humanitarian corridor. In addition, the security zone
Created in Israel to prevent displaced Palestinians from entering.
The authors of the document considered it most desirable for Israel’s security.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office downplayed the significance of the document, which drew condemnation from Egypt and the Palestinians.
Nevertheless, the Financial Times reported in late October 2023 that Netanyahu tried to persuade European leaders to pressure Cairo to accept refugees from Gaza.
The FT noted that the Israeli prime minister presented the proposal at a meeting with European officials. The report said the Czech Republic and Austria floated the idea of Israel reaching the top of EU leaders, but European countries, particularly France, Germany and Britain, rejected it.
Israel’s war with Gaza lasted more than 15 months until it had to sign a cease-fire with Hamas, which took effect on January 19.
During the conflict, Israel has killed more than 47,200 people in Gaza and destroyed much of the territory, making it uninhabitable for Palestinians. However, the Palestinians steadfastly thwarted Israel’s plans by mounting solid resistance.
Israel’s war in Gaza began shortly after Hamas carried out al-Aqsa Strom. It was a surprising military operation in southern Israel. More than 1,100 people were killed in the Hamas attack and about 250 others were taken prisoner. Dozens of prisoners are still being held in Gaza. Some of them have been released since the implementation of the ceasefire.
Since the start of the war, Netanyahu has repeatedly said that fighting will continue until Israel eliminates Hamas and returns all prisoners. However, the regime was forced to accept a cease-fire following a failed military strategy.
Despite Israel’s setback, US President Donald Trump has decided to chase the rainbow.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force 1 on Saturday, Trump hinted at the possibility of relocating Gaza’s population to Egypt and Jordan.
Referring to Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza, the US president said: So I would like to get involved in some of the Arab countries and build housing elsewhere.
He added: “We want to bring people to Egypt. You’re talking about probably a million and a half years, so we clean all of that up and say, ‘You know, it’s over.’ ”
Addressing Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Trump said, “I want you to take on more. It’s a real mess.”
The Palestinian resistance movement strongly condemned Trump’s comments.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said Trump’s “proposals are within the framework of encouraging war crimes and crimes against humanity by forcing our people to leave their lands.”
The resistance group added that Trump’s proposal is “in line with the worst agenda of the extreme Zionist right and the continuation of policies that deny the Palestinian people, their will and their rights.”
He called on Cairo and Amman to reject Trump’s ideas.
Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s Politburo, also became furious with Trump.
“As they have blocked all plans for evacuation and alternative homelands for decades, our people will also block such projects,” he said.
Trump’s proposal is reminiscent of Nakba, the Arabic word for the catastrophe that was the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948.
Zionist forces expelled at least 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and lands the day after Israel was established on May 14, 1948.
Trump’s comments indicate that he is laying eggs for the Zionists to carry out another campaign of ethnic cleansing.
After more than 15 months of war in Gaza, Israel has realized that efforts aimed at crushing Palestinian resistance and expelling Palestinians from the Strip amount to fighting a losing battle. .
Trump may continue to embrace his proposals, but he has to wake up to the fact that he is flogging a dead horse.