Trumps pipe dream A losing bet on relocating Gaza population
Trump's pipe dream: A losing bet on relocating Gaza population
TEHRAN- Soon after Israel launched war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, plans were promptly set in motion to forcibly displace and ethnically cleanse Palestinians from the coastal enclave.
Nearly a week after the initiation of the genocidal war, Israel’s Intelligence Ministry drafted a wartime proposal to transfer the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million population to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
The offer, dated October 13, was initially released by Sicha Mekomit, a local news outlet.
It suggested relocating Gaza's civilian population to tent cities in northern Sinai, followed by the construction of permanent cities and an unspecified humanitarian corridor. Additionally, a security zone
would be created in Israel to prevent the displaced Palestinians from entering.
The authors of the document considered it the 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.
Nonetheless, the Financial Times reported in late October 2023 that Netanyahu sought to convince European leaders to put pressure on Cairo to accept refugees from Gaza.
The FT noted that the Israeli premier had put forward the proposal in meetings with European officials. The report said the Czech Republic and Austria floated the Israeli idea that led up to a summit of EU leaders, but key European countries, notably France, Germany and the UK dismissed it.
Israel’s war on Gaza lasted for more than 15 months until the regime had to sign a ceasefire with Hamas which went into effect on January 19.
During the conflict, Israel killed more than 47,200 people in Gaza and destroyed much of the territory to make it uninhabitable for Palestinians. However, Palestinians remained steadfast and foiled Israel’s plans by putting up stiff resistance.
Israel’s war on Gaza began shortly after Hamas carried out the Al-Aqsa Strom. It was a surprise military operation in southern Israel. More than 1,100 people were killed in the Hamas attack and about 250 others were taken captive. Dozens of the captives are still held in Gaza. Several of them have been released since the implementation of the ceasefire.
Since the start of the war, Netanyahu had repeatedly said fighting would continue until Israel eliminated Hamas and returned all captives. But the regime was forced to accept the truce agreement following the failure of its military strategy.
Despite Israel’s setbacks, US President Donald Trump has decided to chase the rainbows.
Speaking with reporters on board Air Force One on Saturday, Trump suggested the possibility of relocating the population of Gaza to Egypt and Jordan.
Pointing to Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza, the US president said, “It is literally a demolition site right now, almost everything is demolished and people are dying there. So, I would rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”
He added, “I would like Egypt to take people. You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say: ‘You know, it’s over.'”
Addressing King Abdullah II of Jordan, Trump said, “I would love for you to take on more, ‘cause I am looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now, and it’s a mess. It’s a real mess.”
Palestinian resistance movements strongly condemned Trump’s comments.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said Trump’s “proposal falls within the framework of encouraging war crimes and crimes against humanity by forcing our people to leave their land”.
The resistance group added that Trump’s proposal is “in line with the worst of the agenda of the extreme Zionist right and a continuation of the policy of denying the existence of the Palestinian people, their will and their rights”.
It called on Cairo and Amman to reject Trump’s idea.
Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, also came down hard on Trump.
“As they have foiled every plan for displacement and alternative homelands over the decades, our people will also foil such projects,” he said.
Trump’s suggestion is reminiscent of the Nakba, Arabic for catastrophe, the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948.
Zionist military forces expelled at least 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and lands a day after the establishment of Israel on May 14, 1948.
Trump’s comments now indicate that he is egging on Zionists to carry out another ethnic cleansing campaign.
After more than 15 months of the war in Gaza Israel realized that efforts aimed at crushing the Palestinian resistance and expelling Palestinians from the strip amounted to fighting a losing battle.
Trump may keep harping on his proposal but will have to wake up to the fact that he is flogging a dead horse.
source: tehrantimes.com