US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Jordan and Egypt should move more Palestinians out of Gaza, which has been torn apart by a 15-month war, is seen as raising concerns among the enclave’s residents as well as its neighbors. .
The proposal is likely to heighten fears among Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians of an exodus from the coastal strip, and stoke concerns among Arab states that have long been concerned about the destabilizing effects of any exodus. Are concerned about the impact of.
What’s behind the concerns?
Palestinians have long been haunted by what they call the “Nakba,” or catastrophe, when 700,000 of them were driven from their homes when Israel was created in 1948.
Many fled or fled to neighboring Arab states, including Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, where many of them or their descendants still live in refugee camps. Some went to Gaza. Israel disputed the account that they were forced to leave.
The latest conflict follows an unprecedented Israeli bombardment and land offensive in Gaza, devastating urban areas. Palestinians and UN officials say there is no longer a safe zone in Gaza to seek refuge.
According to Israel’s tally, most Gazans have already been displaced several times during the Israeli offensive launched after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
More than 47,000 people have died in Gaza since then, according to Palestinian health officials.
What happened during this conflict?
Before Israel launched its offensive, it told Palestinians in north Gaza that they were safe areas in the south. As the offensive expanded, Israel asked them to move further south towards Rafah.
According to UN estimates, up to 85% of the 2.3 million people in Gaza – one of the most densely populated areas in the world – have already been displaced from their homes.
Could this conflict lead to a major displacement?
Many Palestinians in Gaza have said they would not leave even if they could because they fear it could lead to another permanent displacement in a repeat of 1948. Egypt, meanwhile, has firmly closed the border except for a few thousand foreigners, including dual citizens. And a handful of others leave Gaza.
Egypt and other Arab nations strongly opposed any efforts to push Palestinians over the border.
Still, the scale of this conflict eclipses other Gaza crises or flare-ups in past decades, and the humanitarian disaster deepens for Palestinians by the day.
What are the Arabs, Western states and the United Nations saying?
From the early days of the conflict, Arab governments, particularly Egypt and Jordan, said that Palestinians should not be driven from land where they want to create a future state, which would include the West Bank and Gaza.
Like the Palestinians, they fear that any mass movement across the border would further diminish the prospects for a “two-state solution” – the idea of creating a state of Palestine next to Israel – and leave Arab nations dealing with the consequences. Give.
Top UN officials have added their voices to concerns about mass displacement. UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said last February it was an “illusion” that people in Gaza could reach a safe place.
What have Israel’s government and its politicians said?
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on February 16, 2024 that Israel had no plans to deport Palestinians from Gaza. Katz said Israel would coordinate with Egypt on Palestinian refugees and find a way not to harm Egypt’s interests.
However, comments from some in the government have stoked Palestinian and Arab fears of a new Nakba.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on Palestinian residents of Gaza to leave the besieged enclave by December 31, 2023. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the war “presented an opportunity to focus on encouraging the emigration of Gaza’s residents.”
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safdie said on December 10, 2023, that the Israeli offensive was “a systematic effort to empty Gaza of its people,” Israeli government spokesman Eilon Levy called those comments “outrageous and false accusations.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
