UPDATE: the Washington Post just confirmed this story I broke.
מצרים משתתפת בניקוי אתני של פליטי עזה, ובונה מחנה חדש להם. היא בוגדת בעזתים, ומתנשאת לישראל וארה’ב, בהקבלת פליטים שגורשו מפלישת צה’ל
In yet another betrayal of Palestinians, the Sinai Foundation reports Egypt is constructing a new refugee camp on its territory just outside Rafah:
The Sinai Foundation obtained information through a relevant source that…the construction work currently taking place in eastern Sinai, is intended to create a high-security gated and isolated area near the borders with Gaza strip, in preparation for the reception of Palestinian refugees in the case of the mass exodus of the citizens of Gaza Strip…
They said this information is being circulated in closed circuits to avoid publication, noting that the work is being done under the supervision of the Egyptian Armed Forces Engineering Authority under heavy security presence.
It will accept an unspecified number of Gazans fleeing Israeli invasion of Rafah. The camp appears to be more of a concentration camp than a refugee camp. It will have 20 feet high walls and a locked gate. The ground will be leveled within 10 days. But it isn’t clear who, if anyone, will build facilities or housing. You certainly can’t do so in such a short period of time.
Egypt to create a gated high-security area in the reception of Palestinian refugees from Gaza
The Sinai Foundation obtained information through a relevant source that indicates that the construction work currently taking place in eastern Sinai, is intended to create a… pic.twitter.com/8Xe1H7t9O0
— Sinai for Human Rights (@Sinaifhr) February 14, 2024
DAWN was among the first to break the story regarding the $14-billion aid package approved by the Senate: it contains $1-billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza which, according to the language, could be used to provide refugee support outside of Gaza. The US may use these funds, if they are approved by the House as well, to pay Egypt for construction costs. This would be yet another example of Biden administration collusion with Israeli ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Egypt had sworn it would accept no refugees from Gaza, and threatened to renounce the 1977 Sinai peace accord if Israel drove them out. This would be a remarkable about-face. Apparently, something changed its mind. No doubt, financial rewards for the ruling military junta.
Among them: a few months ago Netanyahu floated a plan (English here) for the World Bank to forgive a major portion of Egypt’s debt. At the time it rejected the plan out of hand. But watch for such an announcement from the Bank. If you hear word of it, you will know Netanyahu’s ploy worked. There could be billions in US military and foreign aid in the pipeline as well.
CIA chief, William Burns, is on a Middle East circuit, arriving in Egypt last Tuesday. He is purportedly there to negotiate a ceasefire proposal. But it’s likely he’s preparing arrangements to execute the ethnic cleansing plan. The world will greet this with tremendous anger. Biden and Netanyahu are relying on the quick construction and evacuation of the refugees in order to tamp down global denunciation.
If this plan happens, it will be a “deft” stroke by the Biden administration and Netanyahu. It will present the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice with a fait accompli. It will allow Israel to say that this is no longer a case of genocide since refugees are now properly settled and provided for. The ethnic cleansing charge will, they hope, be rendered moot.
The US and Egypt will undoubtedly promise that this is a temporary measure and the camp inmates will return to their homes in Gaza as soon as reconstruction there is complete. That reconstruction either will never happen, or the refugees will not be permitted to return. Most importantly, the ethnic-cleansing of Rafah will facilitate Israel’s invasion–where Netanyahu has promised Israelis he will root out the last vestiges of Hamas resistance. Though most experts say this will be impossible. The Egyptian camps will also solve Biden’s “Gaza problem”: Americans’ increasingly opposing US weapons perpetrating slaughter in Gaza.
While the Senate aid plan mentioned above produced only three No votes, that opposition made a difference. They represent the conscience of the Senate. One of the three, Bernie Sanders, made one of his memorable statements: “I’ll be damned if I’m going to give another nickel to Netanyahu.”
In addition, the Biden administration is investigating a late October Israeli attack on the Jabalya refugee camp which killed 125 civilians:
Weapons investigators suspect that Israel used a 2,000-pound bomb in the strike, which could have been provided by the U.S…If investigators conclude that Israel misused American weapons, they could recommend a cutoff in the supply of military aid, suggest restrictions on their use, or propose new guidance.
This is the first time during the war the US has been willing to take such a step. Though even if it did make such a finding, the State Department made clear that this would have no impact on the current Gaza slaughter:
“That process is not intended to function as a rapid response mechanism,” [State Department spokesperson] Miller said. “Rather, it is designed to systematically assess civilian harm incidents and develop appropriate policy responses to reduce the risk of such incidents occurring in the future.
This is a tepid step, typical of Biden’s halting policy shifts made in tiny increments. They refuse to address the main issues and so are hopelessly ineffective. Which may be the point. It gives Israel a free hand to massacre Gazans, while allowing the president to claim he’s doing something that’s actually slightly less than nothing.
Advocacy group established in 2021 in London … Anglo-Saxon narrative against the Sisi administration in Egypt.
I’m thinking in the order of the White Helmets in Syria.
Egypt creating an exclusion buffer zone to prevent Palestinians refugees to infiltrate the Sinai peninsula … see history with breaking Morsi out of jail in 2011.
A bit of propaganda if you will. 😊
Not coincidental … first visit in 12 years by Erdoğan in Cairo … time passed sinds Sisi’s coup d’état to stop the Muslim Brotherhood with political support from Saudi Arabia. The Obama administration was taken by surprise. Türkiye and Arab States were (dis)united in the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. Today united against Israel by the atrocities committed against Palestinians on occupied land.
Securing the border to prevent spillover into the Sinai. Part of the work on a wall started as early as 11 Oct. Not a gated refugee facility IMHO.
Difficult to find resources or funding of SFHR. Earlier date Ahmed Salem published on <a href=“https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/gaza-jihadists-undermine-egypt-hamas-cooperation/“‘Sinai ISIS and Al Qaedafor the Atlantic Council:
Ahmed Salem, is an independent researcher on matters of Sinai and Violent Movements.
The originally sourced SFHR article (rather “story”) has a discrepancy in the Arabic version and the English version:
I’m aware google translation is far from perfect, but the SFHR article is followed up by WSJ writing and later Reuters covered the item. The Israeli tabloid i24 stays away from disinformation and gives a political shout-out. The Arabic version:
Video coverage by France24 Arabic – source SFHR ☹
I really don’t understand this framing. We’re saying Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. So how could it be a bad thing for Egypt to allow innocent Palestinians to flee this genocide? Is it better to force them to stay and die? Looking back to the holocaust, are we saying that those who accepted Jewish refugees were bad and those who sent them back to their deaths were good?
@,Rex: you’ve just given yourself away as an official Hasbara operative. I posted a link to this post on Reddit. Literally scores of commenters offered the same garbage comment as this. If you want to post comments here at least have the decency to post your own original thoughts instead of regurgitated talking pts. Whoever is feeding you this swill is not doing a very subtle job
Whatever you might think of my comments, these are my own thoughts based on what I see as common sense and basic moral principles. I’d love to know why it’s garbage. Maybe just a link to that Reddit post if you responded there. Maybe someone else can tell me?
@ Rex: You’re a liar. 20 commenters don’t all of a sudden say virtually the same thing at the same time.
In short, ethnic cleansing is a violation of international law and a factor in determining genocide. There is nothing “humanitarian” about ethnic cleansing. There is no justification for expelling 1.5 million indigenous inhabitants in order to preserve their lives (supposedly). The one and only answer is to stop killing them. Not to expel them so you can kill others.
This is the end of the conversation for you in this thread. And do not post recycled hasbara arguments here. Post your own thoughts and ideas.