With the majority of Gaza’s population displaced and Israeli forces advancing in Palestinian territories, United Nations officials and Middle Eastern leaders have raised the specter of expelling Gaza’s residents to Egypt.
Who is raising the alarm?
Filippo Grandi, the head of the UN refugee agency, warned on Wednesday that pushing Gaza’s residents across the border would be “very destabilizing for Egypt.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in Qatar on Sunday of “increasing pressure for mass displacement to Egypt.”
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, confirmed that “the developments we are witnessing indicate attempts to relocate Palestinians to Egypt.”
In an article published by the Los Angeles Times, the head of UNRWA mentioned that the unfolding reality comes after widespread destruction in northern Gaza and Israel’s order for civilians to flee in the southern city of Khan Younis towards the border.
Is Israel aiming to expel Gaza’s residents?
“There is no Israeli plan to transfer Gaza’s residents to Egypt, nor has there ever been or will there be,” said a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Ministry responsible for Palestinian civil affairs.
However, some members of the Israeli government have publicly supported the idea of a mass departure of Gaza’s residents.
In a Facebook post last month, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich welcomed “the voluntary emigration of Arabs in Gaza to countries around the world.”
Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel stated that a “post-war option” would be “to facilitate the resettlement of Palestinians in Gaza, for humanitarian reasons, outside the sector.”
Former Israeli officials have suggested in television interviews that Egypt could build large tent cities in its Sinai desert, with international funding.
What is the legal opinion?
According to the Geneva Conventions, the expulsion of civilians is prohibited, which forms the core of international humanitarian law.
Sheila Paylan, an international human rights lawyer and former UN advisor, stated: “If it occurs in the context of an armed conflict, it constitutes a war crime.”
Under the International Criminal Court (ICC) statute, “forcible displacement or transfer of populations” is classified as a crime against humanity.
Paylan noted that leaders do not have to announce that people must leave for it to be considered forced displacement, “if the conditions make it impossible for people to live, they have no option.”
Several individuals have been convicted of forcibly displacing civilians, including in the ICC, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
What is the historical perspective?
Mahmoud Abbas stated that the expulsion of Gaza’s residents would mean a “second Nakba,” referring to the displacement of more than 760,000 Palestinians during the war that coincided with the establishment of Israel in 1948.
Their descendants make up the vast majority of Gaza’s population, while nearly six million Palestinian refugees in the region are registered with UNRWA.
During the 1967 war between Arabs and Israel, more residents were displaced.
What do other countries say?
Days after the outbreak of war, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi stated that Gaza’s residents should “stay steadfast and remain on their land.”
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, followed by Jordan in 1994.
At the same Doha conference attended by the UN Secretary-General, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi criticized the “systematic effort to empty Gaza of its inhabitants.”
The United States, Israel’s main ally, has supported the military campaign but stated that Gaza’s residents should not be forced to leave.
After talks with leaders in the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in October that the idea of pushing Palestinians into Egypt is “not acceptable.”
With AFP
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