Human rights groups and lawyers say ‘voluntary migration’ policy amounts to ethnic cleansing

Israel’s defence minister has said he is committed to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza through large-scale migration of Palestinians as part of Israel’s long-term plans for the territory.

…

The forced transfer of civilian populations is a war crime and a crime against humanity. Israeli officials, including Katz, use the term “voluntary migration” to describe their plans for large numbers of Palestinians to leave Gaza.

Israel-based human rights organisations and lawyers have warned that the conditions Israel has imposed on Gaza mean no departure can be considered voluntary and the policy constitutes planning for ethnic cleansing.

  • PugJesus@piefed.socialEnglish
    5·
    8 days ago

    This may shock you, but refugees are expected to return to their homes eventually.

    Sorry that you feel that an occupying power murdering a tenth of a region’s population and then openly ‘encouraging’ others of a given ethnicity in the region to emigrate is normal, ordinary, everyday, non-genocidal behavior. I hope you get better.

    • Tiresia@slrpnk.netEnglish
      31·
      8 days ago

      Refugees absolutely do not have to go “home” if they don’t want to. They should always have the right to, but it’s equally okay if they settle and build a new home that’s hopefully far away from people wanting to murder them for their ethnicity. They are people, not weapons with which to bring justice to those that attacked them.

      The notion pushed by neoliberals that migration is temporary should be recognized as an excuse to ensure continued alienation between two different groups of workers and to make a large group of workers permanently at the mercy of corporations that hire them and states that have a mandate to fuck them over at a moment’s notice.

      • PugJesus@piefed.socialEnglish
        2·
        8 days ago

        Refugees absolutely do not have to go “home” if they don’t want to. They should always have the right to, but it’s equally okay if they settle and build a new home that’s hopefully far away from people wanting to murder them for their ethnicity. They are people, not weapons with which to bring justice to those that attacked them.

        The notion pushed by neoliberals that migration is temporary should be recognized as an excuse to ensure continued alienation between two different groups of workers and to make a large group of workers permanently at the mercy of corporations that hire them and states that have a mandate to fuck them over at a moment’s notice.

        Refugees and immigrants are related, but generally considered separate, phenomena. Refugees, for this reason, are often restricted from being hired by corporations in civilized countries to avoid exactly that kind of exploitation.

        Some refugees become immigrants. The reverse is not so.

        • Tiresia@slrpnk.netEnglish
          12·
          8 days ago

          Refugees, for this reason, are often restricted from being hired by corporations in civilized countries to avoid exactly that kind of exploitation.

          How many of the “civilized countries” you’re thinking of are materially contributing to the genocide of Palestinians? How many people have they killed or caused to die by violently enforcing standards of what they consider to be a proper refugee or a proper migrant, and manipulating those standards based on the needs of the rich?

          Can you please think for yourself rather than referring to what is “generally considered” or what “civilized countries” do? Or, alternatively, can you stop hiding behind popular opinion and say the quiet part out loud?

          • PugJesus@piefed.socialEnglish
            2·
            8 days ago

            How many of the “civilized countries” you’re thinking of are materially contributing to the genocide of Palestinians? How many people have they killed or caused to die by violently enforcing standards of what they consider to be a proper refugee or a proper migrant, and manipulating those standards based on the needs of the rich?

            … I’m not sure you understand asylum law.

            Can you please think for yourself rather than referring to what is “generally considered” or what “civilized countries” do?

            … this is literally a question of semantics and legal definitions. Unless you’ve decided to become some new kind of iconoclastic guerilla prescriptivist, both of those matters are pretty innately connected to the issue being discussed.

            Or, alternatively, can you stop hiding behind popular opinion and say the quiet part out loud?

            what

    • gandhibobandhi@feddit.orgEnglish
      17·
      8 days ago

      It doesn’t shock me at all. I expect that these palestinian refugees are well aware they likely won’t be able to return and they factor that into their decision of whether or not to leave. Personally if I was in their place I’d be OK with that since Gaza’s government seems committed to endless war anyway.

      I don’t think the situation is normal or ordinary though. Not sure what you think I said that.

      I will be going back for christmas again this year so I can let my mum know she’s a war criminal for “openly encouraging” others of a given (ukranian) ethnicity to emigrate and stay at her house.

      • zeezee@slrpnk.netEnglish
        4·
        8 days ago

        I’m sorry but you have to recognise that Ukrainians are refugees and those that want to return are expecting to do so once the war is over (ie making it not an ethnic cleansing) while the same is not the case for Palestinians (ie the “one-way journey”) which is the part that makes this an ethnic cleansing

        • gandhibobandhi@feddit.orgEnglish
          14·
          8 days ago

          You make a fair point but the sticking point for me is that if it’s voluntary then it’s not ethnic cleansing. Unless these Palestinian refugees are being deceived, which doesn’t appear to be the case (happy to be proven wrong though). No ethnic cleansing has ever been voluntary as far as I’m aware.

          If russia wins the war against Ukraine i also don’t think those Ukranians would be able to go back, or it would be dangerous for them to do so. And I think they know that. They’ve lived in the UK for so long, I expect russia would consider them not welcome after spending so much time in an “enemy country”.

          Actually I think something that would convince me the Gaza situation is ethnic cleansing is if a significant number of the Palestinians accepting the offer consider it to be that. If they say they’re leaving because they are being forced to then fair enough, I’d be happy to concede it. The impression I get from reading articles like this though is those that want to leave don’t see it that way.

      • PugJesus@piefed.socialEnglish
        3·
        8 days ago

        It doesn’t shock me at all. I expect that these palestinian refugees are well aware they likely won’t be able to return and they factor that into their decision of whether or not to leave. Personally if I was in their place I’d be OK with that since Gaza’s government seems committed to endless war anyway.

        Jesus fucking Christ.

        Enjoy being a Holocaust support, Nazi.