Palestinian Displacement Means Land Grab

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has warned the forced displacement of Palestinians could be used by Israel to seize the little remaining Palestinian territory referred to as the Gaza Strip. Israel ordered Palestinians in northern Gaza to move south to avoid being hit in a military attack. But many Palestinians have stayed put, fearing their departure will be permanent. Various United Nations members and Arab states have condemned Israel's actions as a violation of the Geneva Conventions that govern the impact of war on civilians.

Israel has cut access to water, food and electricity, and restricted entry of aid. Despite ordering civilians to vacate, Israel this week bombed the only border crossing point south into Egypt at Rafah. On Tuesday, a now-deleted tweet from Netanyahu’s press officer admitted the Israeli Air Force bombed a Gazan hospital killing 500.

The most recent escalation has once again put the Palestinian question on the front and it has isolated the United States and Israel in West Asia. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, which were progressing toward normalising relations with Israel, now have the statehood of Palestine as a precondition. Following the hospital bombing, a planned summit between US President Joe Biden and the leaders of Egypt and Jordan was scrapped.

At the UN, two times this week, the United States has vetoed resolutions calling for a ceasefire and entry of aid into Gaza. It continues decades of US complicity that abets Israeli atrocities against an enclave, where half its population is made up of children.

Let us know what you think of the Egyptian president's remarks.