All of Israel’s plans and actions amount to Palestinian erasure

During Israel’s genocide in Gaza, people around the world understood that diplomacy was not truly averse to the erasure of Palestinians. When Israel spoke openly of its plan to empty Gaza of Palestinians, it was granted weapons and diplomatic support. When forced transfer was revealed to be part of the plan very early into the genocide, the international community responded through refusal, but the arms sales kept going strong. It became clear that Israel was allowed to turn international law violations and war crimes into exclusive rights granted solely to its colonial agenda. 

Now, as forced transfer once again makes the news with Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announcing a seven year plan in which 250,000 Palestinians would be forcibly transferred to other countries, followed by the rest of the Palestinian population of Gaza, the international community’s silence isn’t reassuring at all.

Even if the plan does not work out, Israel’s military occupation of Gaza is likely to become permanent, which means that several options of erasure are being considered. 

This week, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese warned that Israel’s rubble removal from Gaza in areas the military occupies could erase proof of genocide, as well as eliminate the chances of identifying the remains of bodies who remain trapped under the destruction. “Gaza’s rubble contains human remains and physical evidence relevant to the investigation of alleged international crimes, including genocide,” Albanese stated, noting that companies and countries participating in the clearing of rubble might face international criminal responsibility.

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However, there is a major difference between what should happen under international law, and what happens when Israel is involved. Israel openly speaks about war crimes and is never penalised. This should not come as a surprise, after all the Zionist paramilitaries were not prevented from ethnically cleansing Palestinians during the Nakba to pave the way for Israel’s creation.

Decades of additional violations up to the genocide also proceeded without repercussions for Israel, while Palestinians became mere statistical data for international institutions determined to make a failed humanitarian paradigm work. 

Israel has more refined methods of erasure now and unlimited opportunities to promote them. When the international community allowed genocide to proceed unhindered in Gaza, it granted Israel ultimate impunity. Who will speak out now against forced transfer, dressed as voluntary migration, when Palestinians have already been displaced by genocide? Who will speak out against Israel clearing away rubble and evidence, when allowing genocide to happen already paved the way for crimes of erasure? 

The more Palestinians are killed and displaced with complete tacit approval of the international community, the easier it is for Israel to create several seamless plans of Palestinian erasure. When Ben Gvir says that forced transfer is realistic, he is unfortunately most likely right. Any plan that will be implemented in the future will undoubtedly include forced transfer.

That is how Israel has sustained itself as a colonial enterprise in Palestine – through forced transfer and erasure, complemented by international complicity and silence.

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