As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington, violence and uncertainty continued in Gaza, Ishaan Tharoor writes in The Washington Post.
Israeli strikes killed scores of Palestinians, including women and children at a U.N.-linked clinic.
Despite degrading Hamas, Israeli troops face continued attacks. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Israel Katz directed the military to prepare a “humanitarian city” in Rafah to house displaced Palestinians, with suggestions of future emigration, Tharoor writes.
Critics warn of forced displacement and liken the plan to creating “concentration camps.”
Philippe Lazzarini of the U.N. and Israeli legal scholars condemned the proposal as morally and legally unconscionable.
The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation proposed “Humanitarian Transit Areas,” though it denies relocation is planned. Haaretz called the vision a historic low for Israel.
Daniel Levy of the U.S. Middle East Peace Project argued the strategy reflects a long-term intent to remove Palestinians from Gaza.
Legal experts noted the irony given Zionism’s roots in protecting displaced populations.
Read more at The Washington Post.
