In its editorial, Haaretz newspaper addressed the growing talk among Israeli politicians about facilitating the “departure” of Gaza residents to other countries, as Israeli lawmakers continue to press to do so under the guise of humanitarian aid, and warned that this is a distorted and unacceptable idea.
Knesset member Danny Danon from Likud presented what he considered a solution to the Gaza problem, saying that he had received calls from “countries in Latin America and Africa that wish to absorb refugees from the Gaza Strip,” explaining that this would “make things easier for the residents of Gaza who will remain in the Strip, as well as Efforts to rebuild the sector.
Danon, who served as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations from 2015 to 2020, presented Syria as an example of his distorted and immoral idea that expressed the triviality of his solution and his loss of self-awareness, according to the newspaper. He said, “This happens in every war. Look at what happened in Syria. 1.5 million people moved to Jordan, 3 million to Turkey, and a few million more to Europe.”
The newspaper was surprised by Danon’s insistence that the population transfer he proposed would be “voluntary,” and considered that his attempt to show that the residents of Gaza were fleeing for their lives as if it were a “voluntary” departure was a “sick joke,” at a time when Gaza is being bombed relentlessly, as it exceeded The death toll is 20,000 people, entire neighborhoods have been wiped out, and they are suffering from a humanitarian crisis, where there is no water or food, and where diseases are spreading.
The only desire that plays a role here – according to the newspaper – is the desire of Danon and his ideological partners to expel the residents of Gaza and return to the Jewish settlements that were evacuated from Gaza in 2005.
Danon is not the only one pushing the idea of “voluntary” transfer, as Knesset member Ram Ben Barak from the Yesh Atid party published an editorial on this issue in the Wall Street Journal, which indicates that the idea of “transfer” has found a listening foothold among the opposition. Also, Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel published an article about it in the Jerusalem Post, which forced the Israeli embassy in Washington to clarify that this does not reflect government policy.
However, what is most disturbing – according to Haaretz – is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself is discussing this issue, and he said in response to Danon’s statement that Israel must form a working group to deal with this issue, saying, “Our problem is the countries that want to absorb them, and we are working on This matter”.