Latest news with #internmentCamp
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Israeli defence minister's Gaza proposal marks escalation from incitement of war crimes to official planning for mass forced displacement
Defence minister Israel Katz's plans for an internment camp on the ruins of Rafah mark an escalation beyond incitement to war crimes, already a mainstay of Israel's political discourse, to operational planning for mass forced displacement. Israeli lawmakers including cabinet ministers have repeatedly called for the 'cleansing' of Gaza, in the wake of Hamas's cross-border attacks on 7 October, backing the forced deportation of Palestinians to other countries and new Israeli settlements in the territory. However, Katz was the first senior cabinet member to lay out, in a briefing on Monday to Israeli media, measures to implement the displacement of Palestinians from most of Gaza. He said he had given orders to plan a 'humanitarian city', to hold Palestinians who would not be allowed to leave. Some would be moved to other countries, Katz said. Israeli officials describe this as 'voluntary' departure but the conditions in Gaza mean no displacement inside the territory or departure from it can be seen as consensual in legal terms, human rights lawyers say. Michael Sfard, one of Israel's leading human rights lawyers, said: 'This is not an expression of opinion or desire. Katz ordered the army to prepare. It has more meaning, because this guy holds the administrative power to actually do it.' Katz has the backing of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, currently meeting Donald Trump in Washington DC, Haaretz newspaper reported on Tuesday. However, experts say a political commitment does not mean Katz will be able to build the 'humanitarian city' he described or force the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, even using coercive measures including controlling access to food. Alon Pinkas, an analyst and former top Israeli diplomat, said: 'The plan is by definition unviable and impractical, without even getting to the moral depravity of forcing a desolate million people into a de facto internment camp. 'Katz has a tendency to make outlandish, unfounded, chaos-stirring remarks (on Gaza, on Iran) that have the life expectancy of a mayfly.' However, it would be foolish to dismiss the plan to turn Rafah into a camp as purely political posturing given reported investment into planning for mass forced transfers, Pinkas added. 'There has been a feasibility study (by the Boston Consulting Group), so this may portend serious regard,' he said. Two partners from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) modelled the costs of 'relocating' Palestinians from Gaza, the Financial Times reported last week. BCG has fully disavowed the work and said it was unauthorised. Plans for the construction of camps called 'humanitarian transit areas', to house Palestinians inside and possibly outside Gaza, had previously been presented to the Trump administration and discussed in the White House, Reuters reported on Monday. Sfard is representing three Israeli reservists who in May filed a legal petition against Israel's military and government over the potential forced transfer of Palestinians. They argued that a reported objective of the 'Gideon's Chariots' operation in Gaza, to 'concentrate and move the population', violated international law. 'The IDF is being asked to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity,' their petition said, urging an intervention by the courts. Judges gave authorities weeks to respond, and on Monday's deadline the office of Israel's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, denied that displacing or 'concentrating' Palestinians was an operational goal. 'The IDF recommends and allows civilians who are located in combat zones to leave for their own protection, as long as IDF operations are ongoing in the area,' the letter said. 'It should be emphasized that concentration and mobilization of civilian population is not a part of the operation's aims and certainly the IDF is not coercing movement of population within or out of the Strip.' International law allows temporary evictions to protect civilians from hostilities but only if they meet key criteria, including ensuring that people forced to leave can return home, Sfard said. 'The prohibition on forced transfer and deportation is one of the oldest in modern international law, it dates back to the American civil war. So this it not something new, or that is still being debated in the international legal community.,' he said. 'Demographic engineering can be done by expulsion of people or bringing people into an area. Both are war crimes and it seems this government wants to do both.' Katz, who is apparently at odds with his own chief of staff about the Gaza campaign, made clear that Palestinians would not be allowed to leave his 'humanitarian city', which will cover less than a quarter of Gaza's current territory. Katz's spokesperson Adir Dahan did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the ministry said only Dahan could represent him. The IDF declined comment.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Israeli plans for forced transfer of Gaza's population faces challenge by army reservists
Defence minister Israel Katz's plans for an internment camp on the ruins of Rafah mark an escalation beyond incitement to war crimes, already a mainstay of Israel's political discourse, to operational planning for mass forced displacement. Israeli lawmakers including cabinet ministers have repeatedly called for the 'cleansing' of Gaza, in the wake of Hamas's cross-border attacks on 7 October, backing the forced deportation of Palestinians to other countries and new Israeli settlements in the territory. However, Katz was the first senior cabinet member to lay out, in a briefing on Monday to Israeli media, measures to implement the displacement of Palestinians from most of Gaza. He said he had given orders to plan a 'humanitarian city', to hold Palestinians who would not be allowed to leave. Some would be moved to other countries, Katz said. Israeli officials describe this as 'voluntary' departure but the conditions in Gaza mean no displacement inside the territory or departure from it can be seen as consensual in legal terms, human rights lawyers say. Michael Sfard, one of Israel's leading human rights lawyers, said: 'This is not an expression of opinion or desire. Katz ordered the army to prepare. It has more meaning, because this guy holds the administrative power to actually do it.' Katz has the backing of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, currently meeting Donald Trump in Washington DC, Haaretz newspaper reported on Tuesday. However, experts say a political commitment does not mean Katz will be able to build the 'humanitarian city' he described or force the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, even with coercive measures including access to food. Alon Pinkas, an analyst and former top Israeli diplomat, said: 'The plan is by definition unviable and impractical, without even getting to the moral depravity of forcing a desolate million people into a de facto internment camp. 'Katz has a tendency to make outlandish, unfounded, chaos-stirring remarks (on Gaza, on Iran) that have the life expectancy of a mayfly.' However, it would be foolish to dismiss the plan to turn Rafah into a camp as purely political posturing given reported investment into planning for mass forced transfers, Pinkas added. 'There has been a feasibility study (by the Boston Consulting Group), so this may portend serious regard,' he said. Two partners from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) modelled the costs of 'relocating' Palestinians from Gaza, the Financial Times reported last week. BCG has fully disavowed the work and said it was unauthorised. Plans for the construction of camps called 'humanitarian transit areas', to house Palestinians inside and possibly outside Gaza, had previously been presented to the Trump administration and discussed in the White House, Reuters reported on Monday. Sfard is representing three Israeli reservists who in May filed a legal petition against Israel's military and government over the potential forced transfer of Palestinians. They argued that a reported objective of the 'Gideon's Chariots' operation in Gaza, to 'concentrate and move the population', violated international law. 'The IDF is being asked to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity,' their petition said, urging an intervention by the courts. Judges gave authorities weeks to respond, and on Monday's deadline the office of Israel's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, denied that displacing or 'concentrating' Palestinians was an operational goal. 'The IDF recommends and allows civilians who are located in combat zones to leave for their own protection, as long as IDF operations are ongoing in the area,' the letter said. 'It should be emphasized that concentration and mobilization of civilian population is not a part of the operation's aims and certainly the IDF is not coercing movement of population within or out of the Strip.' International law allows temporary evictions to protect civilians from hostilities but only if they meet key criteria, including ensuring that people forced to leave can return home, Sfard said. 'The prohibition on forced transfer and deportation is one of the oldest in modern international law, it dates back to the American civil war. So this it not something new, or that is still being debated in the international legal community.,' he said. 'Demographic engineering can be done by expulsion of people or bringing people into an area. Both are war crimes and it seems this government wants to do both.' Katz, who is apparently at odds with his own chief of staff about the Gaza campaign, made clear that Palestinians would not be allowed to leave his 'humanitarian city', which will cover less than a quarter of Gaza's current territory. Katz's spokesperson Adir Dahan did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the ministry said only Dahan could represent him. The IDF declined comment.
CBC
08-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Carved in Memory
How a family heirloom uncovered the life of a man imprisoned in a First World War internment camp. By Leah Hendry May 8, 2025 For years, it was tucked in the corner of a bedroom in an apartment in British Columbia — its dark wood worn, its presence mostly overlooked. But its surface tells another story. Delicately carved grapevines twist across the backrest and oak leaves and acorns trail along the curved arms. On the back, a stippled background frames an inscription in French: a message left by the man who made it. Dated 1915, the engraving reveals the chair's unlikely origin. It was crafted by a detainee at the Spirit Lake internment camp in Quebec's Abitibi region, where immigrants from eastern Europe were held during the First World War. All signs suggest the man's life was not an easy one, as he struggled to find work and stability for his family after he was released from the camp. How Margalo Whyte's family came to own the chair is a mystery, but she's always suspected it had a story. Whyte lives 4,000 kilometres away in Tsawwassen, a seaside community within the Metro Vancouver suburb of Delta, B.C. Her family had no connection to the camp, which was established by the Canadian government during the First World War to detain so-called enemy aliens. Whyte's grandfather, Albert Horton, owned the chair. He was a reporter and later chief editor for Hansard, the official record of the House of Commons. He lived in Ottawa. Whyte's mother inherited it after his death. As a child, she remembers it being kept on a screened-in porch at their summer cottage in Ontario's Thousand Islands. 'We used to pile towels on it,' said Whyte. 'But nobody paid much attention to it because none of us were of that age where we cared about antiques.' When her mother died in 1993, the chair came home with her to B.C. But who made the chair? Whyte wanted to find out. A few months ago, the 86-year-old came across a CBC News article about a fight to save a forgotten cemetery connected to Spirit Lake. On a whim, she reached out to CBC for help. 'I've always been curious,' said Whyte. 'I just had a sense that I wanted to honour and acknowledge who carved the chair rather than seeing it go to a landfill or something.' 'I'd really love to find this guy." Detained in Quebec At the beginning of the First World War, the Canadian government passed the War Measures Act. It gave authorities broad powers to suspend civil liberties and arrest and detain people it considered potential security risks. Spirit Lake was one of 24 internment camps set up to detain Ukrainians and other eastern European immigrants. Their property and money was confiscated and they were forced to leave their homes. Located near the town of Amos, about 600 kilometres northwest of Montreal, Spirit Lake was one of the largest camps and operated between January 1915 and January 1917. Nearly 1,200 men, women and children were rounded up and transported to Abitibi by train. The men were forced to do hard labour, clearing the land of trees and brush to make way for an experimental farm. But how — and when — would a detainee have time to make such a chair? Detainees were given time to make and sell crafts such as walking sticks, picture frames and ships in a bottle, according to a major-general's report on internment operations. The items were sold to guards, officers and nearby townfolk, said Lubomyr Luciuk, a retired professor of political geography at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ont. 'Then the guard gives you some money and you can go to the canteen and buy cigarettes, tobacco, chocolate, whatever,' said Luciuk, who has researched and written about internment camps. Although Luciuk has seen Canadian artifacts from other internment camps, he was astonished by the chair's quality and uniqueness. 'It's the finest I've ever seen,' said Luciuk. In his opinion, the only item comparable to the chair is a sideboard that was made for the commandant of the Morrissey internment camp outside of Fernie, B.C. That piece is in a museum in British Columbia and there is an inscription inside the drawer. 'To have a piece like that that actually says from the Spirit Lake internment camp and his name and the year is really unique and it belongs in the Canadian Museum of History,' said Luciuk. 'Alternatively, the Canadian War Museum.' ADVERTISEMENT The front of the chair is delicately carved with grapevines, a popular motif at the time. The chair's mix of styles is also typical of the late 1800s or early 1900s, said John Sewell, who has appraised antiques and fine art for more than 40 years. He looked at photos of the chair and agreed, it's a special piece made by someone with experience. 'What the market really craves are things that are one-offs or very rare,' said Sewell, who is based in Stratford, Ont. 'And this obviously is a one-off, I would say. I doubt very much that the person did two of these.' Sewell suspects it's made of yellow birch, which is common in Abitibi, but there are also sections that look like oak, including the head piece and arms, which are carved with oak leaves and acorns. 'What's not typical is the curve in the seat and the slats across is a nice touch and the curved arms that match the seat,' said Sewell. Sofian's decision to include his own name, as well as the date and location of where it was made, could have been a way for Sofian, while imprisoned, to leave behind a 'personal touch,' he said. Searching for Sofian To uncover the man behind the chair, all CBC had to go on was the name carved into the back — Sofian. To confirm a man by that name was indeed a prisoner at Spirit Lake, CBC consulted a register that lists the names of detainees interned in Canada during the First World War. A Sergye Sofian was listed. With Luciuk's help, CBC also looked at Spirit Lake's handwritten log book, which lists a man by the name of Sergiew Sofian as well as his wife and three children, who ranged in age from six months to 13 years old. Luciuk believes Sergye and Sergiew are the same person. A certificate of release shows a man named Sergye Sofian was discharged from Spirit Lake in August 1916. Using genealogical records, CBC found a Sofian who was born in Romania around 1877. Described as five foot four inches tall with a ruddy complexion, he came to Quebec with his family around 1912 with $30 in his pocket, documents show. Many Romanians immigrated to Canada before the First World War to purchase farmland. Most settled in the Prairies. Gary Schroder, a genealogist and the president of the Quebec Family History Society, a charity with access to millions of records in Canada and the United States, reviewed the records with CBC. Documents indicate Sofian had three daughters in 1912, but shortly after the family arrived in Quebec, a burial certificate shows their youngest child at the time, Marguerita, died when she was 18 months old. The ages of Sofian's surviving daughters correspond to those at Spirit Lake. Although Sofian's first name was sometimes spelled differently, Schroder said that's not unusual, particularly for names from eastern Europe. 'They did change their names a lot because when they went through customs they didn't understand it properly or it sounded different,' said Schroder. 'And don't forget, this was their second language. So if this gentleman was from Romania, his first language might have been Romanian. He might have been speaking Russian.' Sofian's age varies, plus or minus a few years, which Schroder said again, is not unusual. 'Many families, they have no idea how old people are,' said Schroder. 'People lied about their ages too.' There are also slight spelling variations on the first names of Sofian's wife and children, but the ages and number of children are consistent with those found on the Spirit Lake roll call as well as obituaries. Publicly accessible family trees list a Sirghe Sofian as Marguerita's father. A son, Artemy, was born in Nova Scotia in 1915. His age and name match with both the Spirit Lake roll call and log book. Another son, Alexander, was born in Montreal in 1917, after the Sofian family was released from Spirit lake. Census records show the family moved to the Windsor, Ont., area. A Sirghe Sofian is listed as the head of the household and his wife and children's names match those at Spirit Lake. Around 1923, they settled south of the border in Michigan. A number of documents —- including census records, U.S. department of labour immigration documents and a U.S. declaration of intention — list Sofian's profession or trade as a cabinet maker or carpenter. He also worked in factories or as a farm manager. In the U.S. declaration of intention, Sofian's physical characteristics, including height, are listed, which match what was found on the discharge document from Spirit Lake. He remained in Michigan until his death from heart problems in 1936, according to his death certificate. Schroder said all signs point to this being the same man who made the chair at Spirit Lake. Letters to a president The chair Sofian made at Spirit Lake may not be the only piece of furniture he hand carved. In 1933, a small excerpt in the Ludington Daily News said a Romanian farmer named Sirghi Sofian had made a table for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. At the time, Sofian was living in a small farming community called Capac in Michigan state. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library was unable to find the table itself, but the museum collections manager found letters between Sofian and the White House in its presidential papers. In those letters, Sofian tells the president he hand carved the table as a Christmas present. Following the White House's letter of appreciation thanking Sofian for the table, Sofian writes to Roosevelt again and appeals for financial assistance, explaining that he has other furniture, including a writing desk, writing chair and picture frame he could also send. 'I am very poor,' Sofian writes in the letter, dated Dec. 1, 1933. 'I had a 40 acres [sic] farm on rent. I lost my two horses this spring and the owner of the farm put me out because I couldn't make my rent.' In response, the president's private secretary said the president was sorry to hear Sofian was having a hard time, but could not help him financially. Under the circumstances, they thought it best to return the table, but after another letter from Sofian, chose to retain it. It's not clear where the table is now. Other historical sites devoted to FDR, including various retreats in both the U.S. and Canada, including Campobello International Park in New Brunswick, were unable to locate it. 'The chair has had a journey' An obituary for Sofian's youngest son, Alexander, helped zero in on potential descendants. Alexander Sofian was born in Montreal in 1917. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge, the largest, bloodiest single battle fought by the United States in the Second World War. In the obituary, a godson, Alexander Cojocar, is listed. Cojocar is a retired veterinarian in New Jersey and his older brother John, still lives east of Detroit in the same region his great grandfather settled in more than a 100 years ago. Their grandmother, Anna Davis, was Sofian's daughter. She was seven when she was detained at Spirit Lake. John Cojocar remembers his grandmother talking about her father, Sirghi, but he had already died by the time they were born. She did not speak about her time at the internment camp often. 'She told us it was pretty desolate, pretty barren and she remembered that they ate a lot of rabbit,' said John Cojocar, who lives in a suburb of Detroit. Whenever he went hunting and caught a rabbit, he'd offer it to her, but she always refused. 'She didn't want anything to do with rabbits,' said Cojocar with a chuckle. He also recalls his mother had a letter about the table Sofian made for President Roosevelt. It said the table had been sent to a warehouse for items taken from the White House. 'All I know is it's probably in D.C. in a warehouse somewhere,' said Cojocar. When Whyte found out the presumed identity of the man who made her chair, she was overwhelmed and thanked CBC for pursuing it. 'History is so important,' said Whyte, who appreciates having a story to tell her grandchildren. She is going to take some time to decide if she'd like to donate the chair to a museum, give it to Sofian's apparent descendants or keep it within her family. 'The chair has had a journey so we shall have to figure out where its next journey is going to be.' Editing and layout by Benjamin Shingler Lead image by Steven Silcox About the Author Related Stories Footer Links My Account Profile CBC Gem Newsletters Connect with CBC Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Mobile RSS Podcasts Contact CBC Submit Feedback Help Centre Audience Relations, CBC P.O. 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