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Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Former Israeli prime minister calls Gaza 'humanitarian city' a concentration camp
Israel's plan to forcibly confine more than two million Palestinians to a small area in the southern Gaza Strip amounts to a "concentration camp", former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said. "It is a concentration camp. I am sorry," the 79-year-old told The Guardian on Sunday, when asked about a plan outlined by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz last week, which would see an initial 600,000 Palestinians held in an area built on the ruins of Rafah city. According to Katz, Palestinians in the area would undergo security screenings and would not be allowed to leave. Eventually, the entire civilian population would be concentrated in the same location. Katz also said Palestinians would then be encouraged to "voluntarily" leave the Gaza Strip for other countries as part of an "emigration plan". Responding to the proposal, Olmert said: "If [Palestinians] will be deported into the new 'humanitarian city', then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing," adding that ethnic cleansing was the "inevitable interpretation" of the plan. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'When they build a camp where they 'clean' more than half of Gaza, then the inevitable understanding of the strategy of this [is that] it is not to save [Palestinians]," he said. "It is to deport them, to push them and to throw them away. There is no other understanding that I have, at least," he added. Israel's newspaper of record, Haaretz, reported last week that Katz's plan has the backing of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As of 14 July, it remains unclear when construction for the proposed city would begin or whether it could proceed without international backing. Katz envisaged that, if conditions permitted, the city would be built during a two-month pause in hostilities. Such a ceasefire is currently being negotiated between Israel and Hamas through intermediaries, but remains far from agreement. 'Concentration camp': Israel's planned new city in Rafah, explained Read More » International law and genocide experts told Middle East Eye last week that the plans would violate multiple provisions of international law. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, populations in occupied territories "shall at all times be humanely treated" and may only exceptionally be placed under assigned residence or internment when there are "imperative reasons of security". "A blanket decision to enclose hundreds of thousands of people in a concentration camp or zone clearly falls well outside the lawful exception and would entail an unlawful deprivation of liberty in breach of IHL and of human rights law," Eitan Diamond, a senior legal expert based in Jerusalem with the Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Centre, told MEE. Experts also said that Katz's so-called "voluntary emigration" plan - a manifestation of US President Donald Trump's proposal to ethnically cleanse the enclave - was far from "voluntary". "There is nothing voluntary about any emigration scheme that Israel devises in these circumstances," Martin Shaw, a prominent sociologist and author of several books on the subject of genocide, told MEE. "The people of Gaza have been bombed out of their homes, lost their loved ones, starved and shot at when they try to get food. "Israel will be using all this cruelty to force people to leave and to remove their right to return, as they have from previous generations of Palestinians." Olmert says he is 'ashamed and heartbroken' Olmert spoke to The Guardian on the same day that funerals were held in the occupied West Bank for two Palestinian men, including a US citizen, killed by Israeli settlers. "[It is] unforgivable. Unacceptable. There are continuous operations organised, orchestrated in the most brutal, criminal manner by a large group," the former premier said. "There is no way that they can operate in such a consistent, massive and widespread manner without a framework of support and protection which is provided by the [Israeli] authorities in the [occupied Palestinian] territories." Olmert said that extremist figures within Israel's cabinet, who have backed violence in the occupied West Bank and Gaza and authorised settlement expansion, are more dangerous for Israel's long-term security than any external foes. "These guys are the enemy from within," he said. He added that growing anger at Israel internationally could not all be dismissed as antisemitism. 'I cannot refrain from accusing this government of being responsible for war crimes committed' - Ehud Olmert, former Israeli prime minister "In the United States, there is more and more and more expanding expressions of hatred to Israel," he said. "We make a discount to ourselves, saying: 'They are antisemites.' I don't think that they are only antisemites, I think many of them are anti-Israel because of what they watch on television, what they watch on social networks. "This is a painful but normal reaction of people who say: 'Hey, you guys have crossed every possible line'." Olmert called for stronger international pressure on Israel in the absence of any serious opposition in Israel. He also criticised Israel's media for failing to report on Israeli violence against Palestinians. He said he initially backed Israel's war following Hamas' surprise attack on 7 October, which killed around 1,200 people. But he later became "ashamed and heartbroken" by the Israeli government's actions, which he says amount to war crimes. "What can I do to change the attitude, except for number one, recognising these evils, and number two, to criticise them and to make sure the international public opinion knows there are [other] voices, many voices in Israel?" he said. He said Israeli commanders had looked away as actions were taken that would "cause the killing of a large number of non-involved people". "That is why I cannot refrain from accusing this government of being responsible for war crimes committed." Israeli forces have killed more than 58,000 Palestinians since the war on Gaza began in October 2023, and wounded at least 138,500 more.
Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Former Israeli prime minister calls Gaza ‘humanitarian city' a concentration camp
Israel's plan to forcibly confine more than 2 million Palestinians to a small area in the southern Gaza Strip amounts to a "concentration camp", former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said. "It is a concentration camp. I am sorry," the 79-year-old told The Guardian on Sunday, when asked about a plan outlined by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz last week, which would see an initial 600,000 Palestinians held in an area built on the ruins of Rafah city. According to Katz, Palestinians in the area would undergo security screenings and would not be allowed to leave. Eventually, the entire civilian population would be concentrated in the same location. Katz also said Palestinians would then be encouraged to "voluntarily" leave the Gaza Strip for other countries as part of an "emigration plan". Responding to the proposal, Olmert said: "If [Palestinians] will be deported into the new 'humanitarian city', then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing," adding that ethnic cleansing was the "inevitable interpretation" of the plan. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'When they build a camp where they 'clean' more than half of Gaza, then the inevitable understanding of the strategy of this [is that] it is not to save [Palestinians]," he said. "It is to deport them, to push them and to throw them away. There is no other understanding that I have, at least," he added. Israel's newspaper of record, Haaretz, reported last week that Katz's plan has the backing of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As of 14 July, it remains unclear when construction for the proposed city would begin or whether it could proceed without international backing. Katz envisaged that, if conditions permitted, the city would be built during a two-month pause in hostilities. Such a ceasefire is currently being negotiated between Israel and Hamas through intermediaries, but remains far from agreement. 'Concentration camp': Israel's planned new city in Rafah, explained Read More » International law and genocide experts told Middle East Eye last week that the plans would violate multiple provisions of international law. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, populations in occupied territories "shall at all times be humanely treated" and may only exceptionally be placed under assigned residence or internment when there are "imperative reasons of security". "A blanket decision to enclose hundreds of thousands of people in a concentration camp or zone clearly falls well outside the lawful exception and would entail an unlawful deprivation of liberty in breach of IHL and of human rights law," Eitan Diamond, a senior legal expert based in Jerusalem with the Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Centre, told MEE. Experts also said that Katz's so-called "voluntary emigration" plan - a manifestation of US President Donald Trump's proposal to ethnically cleanse the enclave - was far from "voluntary". "There is nothing voluntary about any emigration scheme that Israel devises in these circumstances," Martin Shaw, a prominent sociologist and author of several books on the subject of genocide, told MEE. "The people of Gaza have been bombed out of their homes, lost their loved ones, starved and shot at when they try to get food. "Israel will be using all this cruelty to force people to leave and to remove their right to return, as they have from previous generations of Palestinians." Olmert says he is 'ashamed and heartbroken' Olmert spoke to The Guardian on the same day that funerals were held in the occupied West Bank for two Palestinian men, including a US citizen, killed by Israeli settlers. "[It is] unforgivable. Unacceptable. There are continuous operations organised, orchestrated in the most brutal, criminal manner by a large group," the former premier said. "There is no way that they can operate in such a consistent, massive and widespread manner without a framework of support and protection which is provided by the [Israeli] authorities in the [occupied Palestinian] territories." Olmert said that extremist figures within Israel's cabinet, who have backed violence in the occupied West Bank and Gaza and authorised settlement expansion, are more dangerous for Israel's long-term security than any external foes. "These guys are the enemy from within," he said. He added that growing anger at Israel internationally could not all be dismissed as antisemitism. 'I cannot refrain from accusing this government of being responsible for war crimes committed' - Ehud Olmert, former Israeli prime minister "In the United States, there is more and more and more expanding expressions of hatred to Israel," he said. "We make a discount to ourselves, saying: 'They are antisemites.' I don't think that they are only antisemites, I think many of them are anti-Israel because of what they watch on television, what they watch on social networks. "This is a painful but normal reaction of people who say: 'Hey, you guys have crossed every possible line'." Olmert called for stronger international pressure on Israel in the absence of any serious opposition in Israel. He also criticised Israel's media for failing to report on Israeli violence against Palestinians. He said he initially backed Israel's war following Hamas' surprise attack on 7 October, which killed around 1,200 people. But he later became "ashamed and heartbroken" by the Israeli government's actions, which he says amount to war crimes. "What can I do to change the attitude, except for number one, recognising these evils, and number two, to criticise them and to make sure the international public opinion knows there are [other] voices, many voices in Israel?" he said. He said Israeli commanders had looked away as actions were taken that would "cause the killing of a large number of non-involved people". "That is why I cannot refrain from accusing this government of being responsible for war crimes committed." Israeli forces have killed more than 58,000 Palestinians since the war on Gaza began in October 2023, and wounded at least 138,500 more.
Gulf Today
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Gaza war must end for the sake of humanity
Gaza is 'worse than hell on earth,' International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) chief Mirjana Spoljaric told the BBC's Jermy Bowen following her latest visit to the strip. 'We cannot continue to watch what is happening. It's surpassing any acceptable, legal, moral, and humane standard. The level of destruction, the level of are watching a people entirely stripped of its human dignity. It should really shock our collective conscience.' She said all states must strive to end the war and return the hostages held by Hamas to their families. 'Israel has a right to defend itself,' she said in response to the October 7th, 2023, raid by Hamas, which killed 1,200 and abducted 150 from southern Israel. However, she argued both Hamas and Israel must abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 which prohibits attacks on civilians.' The Geneva Convention must not be disrespected or hollowed out by rule breakers. 'The rules apply to everyone,' she stated before declaring, 'A child in Gaza has exactly the same protections under the Geneva Conventions as a child in Israel.' 'Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Nowhere. Not for the civilians, not for the hostages,' said Spoljaric. 'That's a fact. And (the Red Cross) hospital is not safe. I don't recall another situation (like this) that I have seen where we operate in the midst of hostilities.' Events in Gaza will have repercussions far beyond Palestinians and Israelis because the Geneva Conventions that 'protect the fundamental rights of every human being' are not respected and applied. Spoljaric appealed to all parties for a ceasefire to 'preserve a pathway back to peace for the region.' If this is destroyed, 'the region will never find safety and security. But we can stop (the war) now. It's not too late.' She declared, 'Every state is under the obligation to use their means, their peaceful means, to help reverse what is happening in Gaza today.' Her words are particularly pertinent as the ICRC is the custodian of the Geneva Conventions which provide protection for civilians at time of war. However, this interview coincided with the US veto of the latest UN Security Council resolution that called for an 'immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.' While fourteen of the fifteen members of the Council voted in favour of the resolution, including four of the five permanent members (France, Britain, China and Russia), the fifth the US, cast its veto, the latest on five ceasefire resolutions. US ambassador Dorothy Shea defended the Trump administration's negative stand by saying, 'Any product that undermines our close ally Israel's security is a non-starter.' Her unfortunate use of the word 'product' shows contempt not only for the resolution — which was supposed to end the killing, maiming, and dispossession of Palestinians in Gaza - but also for the Security Council and the United Nations as a world body. As if her words were not damaging enough, US Secretary of State Marco expanded on her remark by stating, 'We will not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas, does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza, draws a false equivalence between Israel and Hamas, or disregards Israel's right to defend itself.' There is no 'equivalence' between Hamas, a liberation movement, and Israel, an illegal occupier, according to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Rubio said that Hamas could end 'this brutal conflict immediately' by laying down its arms and releasing all remaining hostages, including the remains of four Americans. 'Many members of the Security Council still refuse to acknowledge this reality and performative efforts like this resolution undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire.' He followed up by repeating the Israeli propaganda line: 'This resolution would have only empowered Hamas to continue stealing aid and threatening civilians.' UN agencies argue there is 'no evidence' that Hamas is stealing aid and Hamas has ceased 'threatening (Israeli) civilians' since Israel mounted its 20-month war on Gaza. In this region it is the US and Israel which are flagrantly violating the laws of war and peace as well as humanitarian law as defined in the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 which was adopted after the horrors of World War II. The body of this Convention spells out regulations which apply to protected persons, including civilians in occupied territory. In addition, the Convention provides rules for hospitals and safety zones, hospital staff, the wounded and sick (including land, air and sea transport to safety), free passage and delivery of food and medical supplies, and humanitarian workers and organisations. As Article 49 deals with the behaviour of occupying powers, it should be applicable to Israel's conquest of Palestinian territory. The Article reads: 'Individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of their motive.' The Article also states that persons evacuated due to conflict 'shall be transferred back to their homes as soon as hostilities in the area in question have ceased.' The Article ends with the prohibition which Israel has ignored since its expansion by war in 1967: 'The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.' That means there must be no Israeli settlers in occupied Palestinian territory in accordance with the ICJ ruling of July 2024. It is unfortunate that that Israel's US-backed Gaza war has coincided with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia has been condemned and sanctioned for mounting a military offensive against Ukraine which has killed 12,000 Ukrainian civilians out of 37.7 million and wreaked limited destruction on Ukrainian cities, towns and infrastructure. Europe has provided weapons and funds for Kyiv, as this war is on European soil and Europeans believe threat hangs over them. In a conflict far from Europe, Israel has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians in Gaza, starved 2.3 million Gazans, and destroyed the coastal strip. There is no comparison between the two conflicts, but 'double standards' instead of the Geneva Conventions have ruled. As global popular outrage over US-backed Israel's brutal behaviour and violations of the laws of war has peaked, Europe has finally responded. On May 28th, Spain, Ireland, and Norway recognised a Palestinian State. Last week French President Emmanuel Macron warned of 'double standards' and called for return to the 'two state solution' by creating a Palestinian state. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer belatedly described Israel's war in Gaza as 'appalling, counterproductive and intolerable.' German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called Gaza a 'human tragedy and political catastrophe,' questioned 'the goal of the Israeli army in Gaza,' and said that the harm to civilians 'can no longer be justified as a fight against terrorism.' Actions speak louder than words. Bombed and starving Gazans await international intervention.
Egypt Independent
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Egypt condemns Israeli decision to construct 22 new settlements in WB
CAIRO, May 30 (MENA) – Egypt strongly condemned on Friday the Israeli occupation authority's approval of the construction of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. It described the move as a new, blatant, and provocative violation of international law and Palestinian rights, noting that the international community, which is aspiring to achieve just-based peace, rejects the step. In a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt reiterated that the decision represents a flagrant breach of the international legitimacy resolutions, topped with the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 in Occupied Palestinian Territory, UN Security Council resolutions including Resolution 2334, in addition to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Egypt reaffirmed that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, is a basic right for the Palestinian people and a legitimate, irreversible demand of the international community. It stressed that the Israeli settlements have no legal basis and constitute a blatant violation of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring parts of its civilian population into the territory it occupies. The statement further underlined that Israeli settlements constitute a major obstacle to achieving the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace (MENA)
Middle East
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East
OPEN// Egypt condemns Israeli decision to construct 22 new settlements in WB
CAIRO, May 30 (MENA) - Egypt strongly condemned on Friday the Israeli occupation authority's approval of the construction of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. It described the move as a new, blatant, and provocative violation of international law and Palestinian rights, noting that the international community, which is aspiring to achieve just-based peace, rejects the step. In a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt reiterated that the decision represents a flagrant breach of the international legitimacy resolutions, topped with the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 in Occupied Palestinian Territory, UN Security Council resolutions including Resolution 2334, in addition to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Egypt reaffirmed that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, is a basic right for the Palestinian people and a legitimate, irreversible demand of the international community. It stressed that the Israeli settlements have no legal basis and constitute a blatant violation of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring parts of its civilian population into the territory it occupies. The statement further underlined that Israeli settlements constitute a major obstacle to achieving the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace (MENA) J L N/M O H
