Forced Displacement of Palestinians Threat to Sovereignty
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Sulaiman
- . November 23, 2023
- . Update: November 23, 2023 4:11 pm
With Israel pushing the idea of displacing the people of Gaza into other countries, Egypt continues to reject forced displacement of Palestinians. The Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly threatened to slam the international law on Israel.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was criticized for saying that the voluntary migration of Palestinians in Gaza is the right humanitarian solution for the besieged enclave and the region. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said this is an expression of the Israeli government’s policy that violates international laws. “Any attempt to justify and encourage the displacement of Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip is completely rejected by Egypt and internationally.”
Shoukry said Egypt rejects the policies of forced displacement of Palestinians, or deliberately withholding humanitarian aid and necessary services in a way that creates unbearable conditions for civilians, or allowing the liquidation of the Palestinian cause.
This back and forth exchange of words come with the UN saying that 1.7 million people of Gaza’s population have been displaced, with 900,000 seeking shelter in UN-run shelters.
US Rejects Displacement of Palestinians
The US has rejected and opposed Israel’s intentions to displace the people of Gaza. In a phone call to Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah El Sis, Joe Biden reiterated the US’s categorical rejection of displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt.
He has also told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas the US opposed to the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza. The White House said President Biden issued the same message to the Jordan King. They agreed that it is critical to ensure that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced outside Gaza.
John Kirby, the US National Security Council spokesman, rejected any reports of a plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza. He said this is not their policy. “That is not what we are after. We want to make sure that the people of Gaza, should they want to go back home, can go back home. But if they want to get out in the interim, they should be able to get out.”
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Reuniting Gaza and West Bank with Palestine
Biden has written in The Washington Post that the US is working toward reuniting the occupied West Bank and Gaza under the Palestinian Authority, while working towards a two-state solution. He said the principles for achieving peace is to not forcibly displace Palestinians, no re-occupation, no siege or blockade, and no reduction in territory.
But Israel continues to bombard Gaza. Despite agreeing to a hostage release and ceasefire deal with Hamas, Israel has launched airstrikes and heavy artillery shelling into residential blocks.
