Israel’s defence minister has said he is committed to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza through large-scale migration of Palestinians as part of Israel’s long-term plans for the territory.
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The forced transfer of civilian populations is a war crime and a crime against humanity. Israeli officials, including Katz, use the term “voluntary migration” to describe their plans for large numbers of Palestinians to leave Gaza.
Israel-based human rights organisations and lawyers have warned that the conditions Israel has imposed on Gaza mean no departure can be considered voluntary and the policy constitutes planning for ethnic cleansing.
As I mentioned in a different comment, it would be interesting to hear the perspectives of Palestinians accepting this offer.
I assumed that anyone who considers it ethnic cleansing would refuse the offer anyway. And I also imagine there are plenty who just don’t want to live under a Hamas government any more and the endless conflict/holy war that entails (Personally I’m not expecting Hamas to disarm or relinquish governance, presumably many Gazans have the same view).
I did find this article in al Jazeera and the guy who’s leaving Gaza seems pretty happy about it and probably wouldn’t describe himself as a victim of ethnic cleansing. Its only a sample size of 1 though so doesn’t mean a whole lot on its own.
You could offer every single person there the equivalent of a million Euros or USD or whatever to move somewhere else, treat everyone kindly, and be on your way. I’m no expert, but it seems there’d still be an argument that it would be ethnic cleansing, because you are intentionally displacing a whole people from their homes, scattering their culture to the wind. Even if you politely induced them all to it.
A quick Google gives the definition of ethnic cleansing as “systematic forced removal” so if it’s voluntary it just can’t fit the definition as far as I can see. Plus- it sounds like the vast majority of Gazans will not be leaving anyway, the “whole people” aren’t leaving, just the ones who want to.
When I moved to germany a few years back for work you could argue I was “politely induced” to do that by my new employer and the salary they offered. But nobody would seriously say I was displaced or ethnically cleansed. Even if this German company hired ten thousand british people and they all had to renounce their UK citizenship as part of it.
But I’ll keep an open mind that perhaps they are being forced somehow. If the palestinian refugees leaving feel they’re being forced into this then I could agree with the ethnic cleansing accusation.