Israel plans huge camp in southern Gaza
According to defence minister Israel Katz, Israel wants to construct a massive camp for 600,000 Palestinians in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. The aim is to physically separate Hamas fighters from the civilian population, he told journalists. A few days ago he had said that it would not be possible for them to return to northern Gaza. Commentators fear this amounts to an expulsion in violation of international law.
Killing off any hope
Israel's plans are criminal, The Irish Times stresses:
“The Israeli-American plan seems to be nakedly intended to kill off any hope of a two-state solution by the deportation of the population of Gaza. ... By deporting two million Palestinian Arabs from Gaza, and making preparations for ethnically cleansing most of the West Bank, the land described as Greater Israel including Gaza, Judea and Samaria (aka the West Bank) could all be kept as a majority Jewish state. ... All this flouts all notions of international law. All this amounts to a programme of war crimes. All this is happening before our eyes.”
Pure cynicism
The Süddeutsche Zeitung finds Netanyahu's plans outrageous:
“No one would be forced [to leave], he said; it would all be strictly voluntary. Viewed objectively, this is sheer cynicism now that the Israeli bombardment has turned the coastal area into a landscape of ruins, tens of thousands of civilians have died and the people have been starving for months. What else can people do voluntarily in this situation? The setting up of camps in Gaza is more likely to fulfil Netanyahu's domestic political needs: His far-right coalition partners are explicitly calling for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza.”
Prevent ethnic cleansing
Europe must intervene, De Volkskrant urges:
“The international community must take action against this deplorable project. Unfortunately, little can be expected from US President Donald Trump, but the EU must oppose it. The EU foreign ministers will meet this month to discuss whether to suspend the Association Agreement with Israel [established in 2000]. If Israel goes ahead with its plans for an ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip, this should be enough to convince Germany and other traditional friends of Israel to take action.”