Israel Unloads Gaza Ethnic-Cleansing on US, Saudi Arabia and Egypt US and Saudis would fund refugee camps while Egypt runs them

This is its version of an evacuation plan. Israel promised Biden that Gazans would be “evacuated” before it invaded Rafah.  But the world mistakenly thought that it would conduct the evacuation.  But they were, of course, wrong. That wasn’t Israel’s plan at all.

It never does anything not in its interest.  1.5-million refugees are definitely not in their interest. Make it someone else’s problem.  That’s been Israel’s modus operandi since the Nakba, which created 1-million “problems” it unloaded on Arab frontline states.

30,000 Gazan dead: the cost of doing business.  1.5-million refugees situated where you want to force Hamas to make its final stand? Clear them out of the way. But let someone else do it. It’s not their problem.

Ethnic cleansing plans

There appear to be two separate plans: one Egypt’s, which may or may not have been devised with US and Israeli consultation. I broke the story that Egypt was clearing a massive empty space in Egypt surrounded by 20 feet walls and locked gates. The Washington Post confirmed my report the day after I published.

Presumably, that’s where Gazans fleeing Israeli slaughter in Rafah would be corralled like cattle (at least it wouldn’t be cattle cars).  And yes, it would be like a concentration camp.  Because Egypt does not want Gaza refugees taking up permanent residence on its territory, let alone playing out their grievances with Israel from there.

Oh the irony of Israel expelling Gazans into Egypt, reversing the Biblical story of Egypt expelling the Israelites into ancient Israel.

Both Israel and Egypt denied such a plan in statements that were clearly coordinated and unpersuasive:

“The State of Israel has no intention of evacuating Palestinian civilians to Egypt,” Gallant told reporters. “We respect and value our peace agreement with Egypt, which is a cornerstone of stability in the region as well as an important partner.”

Diaa Rashwan, head of Egypt’s State Information Service, said any fencing and clearing work was a routine measure meant to maintain the integrity of Egypt’s borders.

Gallant’s statement deliberately obfuscates.  Of course Israel doesn’t intend the “evacuate” anyone.  The purpose of the Egyptian camps is not to receive refugees Israel sends there. It is to accommodate Gazans from Rafah fleeing for their lives.  The fighting in Rafah will kill them if they don’t.  One obvious safe place to do so would be across the Egyptian border (unless Egyptian border guards shot them down).  Also, Gallant clearly was protecting Egypt by noting Israeli respect for Egyptian interests.

The Egyptian response is clearly designed to reaffirm previous statements declaring its opposition to ethnic cleansing of Gazans on its territory.  But previous denials no long ring true.  The excavation and clearing it is doing is not routine, as you can see in the accompanying picture.  It is creating a walled camp, as the Sinai Foundation said.

The second plan was cooked up by Israel. It involves building massive refugee camps along the western edge of Gaza.  Who would build them, you ask?  As I wrote above, not Israel of course.  But its two rich uncles, the US and Saudi Arabia, who would step up, beneficently, to take care of the Gazans they profess to care about so deeply. Israel is saying, in effect, if you care about their humanitarian needs you do something about it. It’s not our problem:

Israel is proposing the creation of sprawling tent cities in Gaza as part of an evacuation plan to be funded by the U.S. and its Arab Gulf partners ahead of an impending invasion of a city in the strip’s south which Israel says is the last bastion of Hamas.

And who would care for these 1.5-million Rafah refugees?  Who would administer the camps?  Not Israel of course.  Not its problem.  It doesn’t fix problems. It only creates them. They palm that problem off on the Egyptians, who controlled Gaza until 1967:

The Israeli evacuation proposal includes establishing 15 campsites of around 25,000 tents each across the southwestern part of the Gaza Strip, Egyptian officials said. Egypt would be in charge of setting up the camps and field hospitals, the officials said.

Given the close security relationship between Israel and Egypt, the latter would certainly permit Israeli troops to enter the camps at will.  Isn’t that convenient?  Prest-0 change-o, Israel solves its Gaza problem It gets to destroy Hamas (and Gaza along with it), unloads 80% of Gaza’s population on others, and Bibi Netanyahu gets to run a victory lap in Jerusalem.

A present all tied up it bows and splendid wrapping paper.  Israel is happy. Biden is happy to pay to get out of a Middle East quagmire, while retaining those hundreds of millions in campaign cash he needs from pro-Israel donors leading to his election.  The Saudis are sitting pretty: they get (or so they expect) a US defense treaty and possibly even a US nuclear reactor thrown in for good measure.  Oh, and don’t forget a sweetener for Israel: Saudi normalization.  The jewel in the Arab crown recognizes Israel.  Adding another feather to Brother Bibi’s cap.

How likely is this plan to materialize? That’s anyone’s guess.  But one thing’s for certain. If Israel can sell this bill of goods it’s the most brilliant salesman since PT Barnum, who famously said: “There’s a sucker born every minutes.”

There are hints that at least some of these parties are receptive: the US has allocated $1-billion in its $14-billion appropriate for weapons for Israel, that would be allocated for humanitarian aid for Gaza.  That aid can expressly support refugees housed outside Gaza.  That is, ethnic-cleansing.

That would add yet another episode of ethnic cleansing to our sordid history. We committed genocide against Native Americans, herding them into reservations.  We ethnically cleansed Japanese-Americans in WWII, “relocating” them in remote camps for much of WWII.  Now we’re prepared to inflict the same crime on Gaza in holding pens in the Egyptian Sinai.

But if any of these parties, especially Israel, think this will end their problems with Hamas or the Palestinian people, they are sorely mistaken.  Hamas can never be defeated.  It will survive in Gaza. If not, it will survive outside Gaza. Gazans will never give up their will to live freely under their own flag in their own country.  No conqueror can extinguish these dreams in the hearts of every Palestinian everywhere.

The Barghouti factor

There is one course events could take that would solve everyone’s problem, including the Palestinians.  In the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas, it could free Marwan Barghouti, the most charismatic leader in Palestine.  All factions respect him and would join in welcoming him as the leader of a new country.  That includes Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Barghouti has already accepted a two-state solution.  Hamas itself has also endorsed two-states in a 2021 reconciliation agreement with Fatah, which Biden and Netanyahu rejected.

This is the best and only way to solve the conflict. If Biden was smart he would push the Israelis hard on this.  Even demand it.  But in doing so, both he and the Israelis know that it will only work if the world creates a Palestinian state.  Israel would never do so.

So would Biden and the world circumvent Israel and recognize such a state and let Israel twist in the wind?  I think we have our answer. He’s a Zionist, as he said so himself.  He can’t and won’t part ways with Israel.  So the only real solution dies on the vine.  Yet another tragedy for the Middle East, which has known its share of them for millennia.