Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza Is Becoming an Official Israeli Government Policy

An Israeli media report says Israel is in talks with Congo and other countries on absorbing Palestinian refugees

by Dave DeCamp
 Posted on

Categories The idea of cleansing Gaza of its Palestinian population is slowly becoming an official Israeli government position, Zman Israel reported on Wednesday.

A senior Israeli official said that Israel is already in discussions with Congo and other nations on absorbing Palestinian refugees. “Congo will be willing to take in migrants, and we’re in talks with others,” the official said.

Israeli officials are framing the plan as a “voluntary” resettlement, but the Israeli military is making Gaza uninhabitable. Besides the massive bombing campaign that has destroyed nearly 70% of the homes in Gaza, the siege has left many Palestinians facing starvation and disease.

The Zman report came a day after the US condemned rhetoric from two Israeli ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, about the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and the establishment of Jewish settlements in the conflict. The US State Department said the Israeli government has insisted the statements do not reflect government policy, but that claim does not align with reality.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was working on finding countries to accept Palestinians. “Our problem is [finding] countries that are willing to absorb Gazans, and we are working on it,” he said.

On Tuesday, Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel told Zman that “voluntary migration is the best and most realistic program for the day after the fighting ends.” Gamliel penned an op-ed for The Jerusalem Post published in November, where she proposed the “voluntary resettlement” of Palestinians from Gaza.

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Similarly, two members of the Israeli Knesset, Danny Danon, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, and Ram Ben-Barak, a member of the opposition party Yesh Atid, called for Western countries to take in Palestinian refugees in pages of The Wall Street Journal, demonstrating the idea is popular across the political spectrum.

It was obvious from the start of the Israeli onslaught in Gaza that the Israeli government wanted to achieve ethnic cleansing in the enclave. In October, a leaked document drafted by Gamliel’s Intelligence Ministry proposed pushing all 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza into Egypt. But Cairo is standing firm on its opposition to accepting Palestinian refugees and enabling Israel’s plans, forcing the Israeli government to look elsewhere.

The Biden administration claims it’s opposed to the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza but continues to provide military aid for the Israeli campaign without conditions. There are no serious discussions within the administration about cutting Israel off or limiting military support.

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