Middle East | Besiege, bombard, expel

The Israeli army continues its advance in the Gaza Strip with heavy airstrikes and a ground offensive toward the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 450 people, mostly women and children, have died since the start of Operation Gideon's Chariot. The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem publishes the daily casualty toll in protest against the bombardment of civilians and confirms the Palestinian figures. B'Tselem, along with other organizations, is calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately end the "ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip."

But instead, on Wednesday, the head of government ordered the withdrawal of the Israeli negotiating delegation from Doha, thus encouraging further escalation. Negotiations in Qatar were held over the release of the 20 Israeli Hamas hostages allegedly still alive.

Even though criticism is growing at home and abroad, and the families of the hostages and released hostages are accusing the Israeli government of continuing the war only as an end in itself and to maintain power, Netanyahu and his radical coalition partners are calmly implementing their long-standing plan: the end of the idea of ​​a two-state solution and the expulsion of the majority of Palestinians.

At first glance, the Netanyahu government's response to the harsh criticism of the bombing and blockade of Gaza, which is now also coming from friendly countries, appears to be routine. Former colonial powers in particular should understand that Israel will not allow anyone to dictate how it should defend itself, said Foreign Minister Israel Katz during the "Beshewa" conference in New York. Previously, France, Great Britain, and Canada had threatened sanctions, and the EU had halted negotiations with Israel on a free trade agreement in order to enforce an end to the blockade of aid deliveries to Gaza that has been in place since March 3. The Spanish province of Catalonia closed its representation in Tel Aviv on Wednesday in protest against the plight of the civilian population in Gaza. Israeli media are calling this the biggest diplomatic crisis since the founding of Israel.

Many observers see Katz's harsh tone toward his closest partners as a sign that Jerusalem is unwilling to deviate from the existing plan. The planned "voluntary departure" of Gaza's more than two million residents and the takeover of the West Bank are justified alternately with Iranian influence and widespread support for Hamas. Both factors make future coexistence with the Palestinians impossible for many Israelis. Despite all the political differences, the ideas of radical and opposition circles about what Gaza should look like after the war are similar.

"This moment is also a unique opportunity."

Benny Gantz Israeli opposition politician

Benny Gantz, Netanyahu's main opponent in the Knesset, said at the New York "Besheva Jerusalem Conference" that the release of the hostages was a priority. "But this moment is also a unique opportunity to implement the voluntary departure of the Gaza population advocated by Donald Trump."

Radical politician Moshe Feiglin of the Zehut Party explained how this would be implemented on Channel 14. The delivery of food must be linked to the exit. The enemy is not just Hamas. "Every child, every baby in Gaza is an enemy." Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the population would be diverted into small enclaves. On Wednesday, Israeli fighter jets dropped flyers in the form of Koranic verses demanding immediate evacuation to "safe areas." Otherwise, they would be shot.

Shots were also fired on Wednesday in Jenin, a city in the far north of the West Bank known for its armed resistance groups. Diplomats from a dozen countries had traveled to the vicinity of the refugee camp that had been cleared and destroyed by the Israeli army. As is customary for such visits, the occupying army had been informed. But when soldiers judged the group had come too close to the destruction, they also fired over the heads of German diplomats. While some Western countries protested and summoned Israeli ambassadors, the action was celebrated among settlers and right-wing circles in Israel.

"In these circles, they believe they're already close to their goal," says Issa Amro, a Palestinian activist from the city of Hebron. "Namely, control of the entire West Bank by creating small, separate Palestinian enclaves." From around 300 checkpoints three years ago, there are now 900, Amro reports. "Many checkpoints are opened and closed arbitrarily, and even getting to work has become an insurmountable challenge for many." B'Tselem also confirms the increase in the destruction of Palestinian homes that Amro complains about. "In the shadow of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, the Hebron model is currently being applied to the entire West Bank."

In Hebron, which consists of a Palestinian and a small Jewish part, the control of Palestinians' freedom of movement has been practiced for years. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich indirectly confirms the thesis of Issa and other Palestinian human rights activists. Smotrich stated last week that the West Bank will be annexed by the end of the current legislative period. It was here in 2017 that he developed his "oppression plan," which is considered a blueprint for current events. "Ten years ago, the radical settlers living around Hebron only had the expansion of their cities; now they determine the fate of an entire region."

The newspaper Israel Maariv reports that Smotrich received a promise from Netanyahu of 22 new settlements in exchange for agreeing to the minimal humanitarian aid for Gaza's residents, which he rejected. While those displaced from their homes in the West Bank are being urged to emigrate to Jordan, the ethnic cleansing of Gaza has so far failed due to the unwillingness of other countries to accept the displaced.

In Gaza, the Israeli army is currently operating as outlined in the so-called "Generals' Plan." According to this plan, the population is to be virtually besieged and driven into small areas. The rest of Gaza is applying the Dahiya doctrine. Named after a Hezbollah-dominated suburb of Beirut, the strategy is simple. The massive destruction of civilian infrastructure is intended to turn the population away from militias like Hezbollah or Hamas. But for radicals like Smotrich and Finance Minister Ben Gvir, this doesn't go far enough.

According to US broadcaster NBC, an airlift will be set up to Benghazi in Libya, after which the Palestinians will be distributed among various cities.

In Libya, a plan published by the American television network NBC to resettle one million Palestinians is currently causing discontent. Last week, NBC journalists claimed that the Trump administration was already in talks with Libyan politicians about the concrete implementation of the plan. In exchange for accepting the displaced people from Gaza, the state funds frozen after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, which the Gaddafi regime had deposited in American banks, are to be transferred back to Libya. According to NBC, an airlift to Benghazi will be established, and then the people will be distributed among various cities.

NBC cites conversations with well-informed sources in Washington. A U.S. State Department spokesperson denied the existence of such a plan, as did the U.S. Embassy in Libya, which was relocated from Tripoli to Tunis for security reasons.

Many Libyans believe that the release of the plan at this time serves as a test balloon for public opinion, but is nevertheless serious. Israel's radical scene has already suggested Somaliland and Sudan as host countries. However, there have apparently been no concrete negotiations with their governments yet.

Now, Libya, with only seven million inhabitants, is the most sparsely populated country in North Africa. According to West Libyan Interior Minister Emad, however, over two million migrants currently live in the country. He intends to deport most of them to their home countries.

The idea of ​​exploiting the civil war-torn country's political division to carry out the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip first emerged several months ago in an article in the Times of Israel. The article refers to contacts between Israeli military authorities and Khalifa Haftar's "Libyan National Army," but also speculates on specific details, such as the 1,173 flights from Egypt to Benghazi required for the operation.

In both Tripoli and Benghazi, opinions on the plan are unanimous. "No one in Libya will dare to become an accomplice to genocide," says Moutaz Mathi, a journalist from Tripoli. After several wars since 2011, many also fear that new radical militias could establish themselves in the country.

Israel's Finance Minister Smotrich seems to be indifferent to the skepticism. He reportedly rejoiced last week that the first 300 Palestinians had already crossed the Rafah border crossing.