Member of the Knesset, Ahmad Tibi, writes:

Widespread support for the idea of transferring the population of Gaza to other countries, alongside the notion that “there are no innocent people” in the Palestinian enclave, constitute a betrayal of every moral principle that should guide a people who endured the Holocaust.

All those who support the “voluntary migration” proposal should understand: the Palestinian people are not going anywhere.

The fact that polls show overwhelming support among Jewish Israelis for the idea of expelling Palestinians from Gaza is horrifying, and it demands deep soul-searching – especially for a people who suffered the barbarities of the Holocaust, racism and mass murder.

Their willingness today to adopt a concept that echoes these horrors reflects a serious moral distortion.

The notion of population ​​transfer is not new in Israel. Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose extremist ideology has increasingly been brought back into the mainstream, advocated for this half a century ago.

The concept gained momentum with the addition of Itamar Ben Gvir to Israel’s far-right government (he has since resigned from cabinet in protest over the Gaza ceasefire).

The aspiration to empty Palestine of its indigenous inhabitants has not just persisted for decades; it is actively gaining legitimacy. How is it possible that those whose own people stood on the brink of extermination are now adopting the very methods used to victimise them? [Continue reading…]