Israeli Legislators: Western Nations Should 'Welcome Gaza Refugees'
In a bold demonstration of chutzpah, two current members of Israel's legislature took to the Wall Street Journal op-ed pages to declare that Western countries should start taking Gaza refugees. This comes as Israel is methodically destroying much of the densely-populated territory that's home to some 2 million Palestinians, following the stunning and vicious Oct. 7 attack by the militant arm of Hamas, which rules Gaza.
Look at the images of Gaza before and after Israel's bombardment.
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) November 12, 2023
This is total destruction. Indiscriminate. Not targeted in the slightest.
But here's the kicker: @JoeBiden SAT IN on the Israeli war cabinet when this was planned.
He KNEW what would happen. He APPROVED it. pic.twitter.com/G2TVLVt7Hw
"It is imperative that the international community explore potential solutions to help civilians caught in the crisis," wrote Danny Danon and Ram Ben-Barak. Danon is a member of the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud Party, while Ben-Barak is a member of the center-left Yesh Atid. The Times of Israel hailed their joint call to export Israel's problems as "a rare display of cross-party solidarity."
Writing as if they're spontaneously brainstorming, Danon and Ben-Barak say that "one idea is for countries around the world to accept limited numbers of Gazan families who have expressed a desire to relocate."
Danon and Ben-Barak -- who led the Mossad from 2009 to 2011 -- cite various historical examples of Western European countries and the United States opening the door to refugees displaced by war, and then declare that "organizations with experience settling refugees should facilitate the relocation of Gaza residents who wish to move to countries willing to accept them...Even if countries took in as few as 10,000 people each, it would help alleviate the crisis."
Scooping up Palestinian refugees from Gaza would also advance a goal of many Israelis -- to ethnically cleanse the territory and allow Israel to readmit settlers, after having removed them in 2005. Such a cleansing goal isn't a conspiracy theory from the fringes of the internet: Last month, a leaked document drafted by Israel's intelligence ministry proposed forcing the population of Gaza into Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
While ZeroHedge isn't able to verify it, this week a video circulated on social media purporting to show Israel Defense Forces soldiers in Gaza declaring they are on a mission of "conquering, expelling and settling."
IDF SOLDIERS IN GAZA ADMIT THEY ARE PLANNING TO ETHNICALLY CLEANSE PALESTINIANS
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) November 14, 2023
They said they are:
"Conquering, expelling and settling." pic.twitter.com/aJoi821HkQ
As Dave DeCamp notes at AntiWar.com, "the op-ed drew praise from Bezalel Smotrich, an extremist settler who leads the Religious Zionist party and is Israel’s finance minister." Smotrich, who has called for Israel to annex the West Bank while barring Palestinians from citizenship, said relocation of refugees was the final "only solution that will bring to an end the suffering and pain of Jews and Arabs alike...Israel will no longer be able to put up with the existence of an independent entity in Gaza.”
On Wednesday, Nov 15 at 7:30pm ET, ZeroHedge will launch a new debate series -- with a discussion of the Israel-Hamas war, pitting libertarian podcaster and comic Dave Smith against outspoken Zionist Laura Loomer. Here's how to watch.
