No respite from the fear of forced displacement

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted upon his rejection of US President Donald Trump’s 15-point plan for Gaza, which would see Hamas disarming and Israel withdrawing from Gaza. During a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu stated that there would be no Palestinian state as long as he is prime minister, and that Israel would not agree to Trump’s plan.

Agreeing to Trump’s plan would not have resulted in a Palestinian state – the plan and the two-state paradigm have been conflated on purpose – to ascertain Israel’s complete rejection of any semblance of temporary alleviation. Since the start of the genocide, and particularly with each proposal that would halt Israel’s violence in Gaza, Israel officials have altered their narratives several times – from insisting upon complete Hamas disarmament, to forced transfer, to debates about humanitarian aid and restrictions in Gaza, the Yellow Line and encroachment through military occupation – each strand only points to the fact that diplomacy is not just acting as a cover for colonialism, but also participating in it.

The bottom line is that forced displacement will continue; Israel does not want the return of Palestinians to their homes in Gaza. The genocide was meant as absolute destruction.

The Palestinians’ reality on the ground is what is missing from the political violence”. As a Palestinian, Ahmed, stated to Aljazeera, We have no one standing behind us to protect us. Why?”

What happens if or when Israel decides to further forcibly displace Palestinians in Gaza to appropriate more territory? The Board of Peace is not functioning as safety for Palestinians; it is as contradictory as Trump’s statements on Gaza. Notably, the Board of Peace did not explicitly declare itself against the forced transfer of Palestinians, however the US vision for Gaza does not incorporate a shard of Palestinian culture, heritage or values. The Board of Peace is an extension of the US, which has the backing of the UN Security Council. Where do Palestinians fit in these plans?

Nowhere, hence the Palestinian people’s fear that their displacement from their homes in Gaza is permanent. It is not just that their homes are now rubble, but rather the fact that rebuilding Gaza has nothing to do with the Palestinian people.

Even if Trump’s grand plans for Gaza are not realised, it does not mean that Palestinians can reclaim their land. The US and Israel have created too many contradictory plans and currently the focus is on the clash between Netanyahu and Trump over the 15-point plan, but Israel’s entrenchment in Gaza is undisputed both in terms of actual military occupation, as well as diplomatically. There has been no particular insistence that Israel withdraws from Gaza; only that withdrawal is now conditional upon Hamas disarming. If Hamas disarms, Israel would have encroached upon further territory by that time, and will certainly not relinquish any land it would have already appropriated, as this would contradict the plans to colonise Gaza.

No one involved in these political schemes is standing behind or for Palestinians. Palestinians are just expected to wait, displaced behind all this diplomacy that decides their fate.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.