Abdel Raouf Arnaout
31 October 2023•Update: 31 October 2023
JERUSALEM
Israel acknowledged Monday that its Intelligence Ministry drafted a proposal that included three alternatives for the post-war situation in Gaza, including relocating its residents to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the document, which was widely circulated in Israeli media, is dated Oct. 13, just six days after the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise cross-border attack that trigged the Gaza war.
The document includes three alternatives which include residents staying in Gaza with the return of the Palestinian Authority to the Strip, residents staying in Gaza with the emergence of local Arab rule, or relocating them from Gaza to the Sinai Peninsula.
The document indicates that the third alternative would achieve strategic results, is feasible and requires the support of the United States and other countries that support Israel to achieve their goals.
It adds that the first and second alternatives have significant shortcomings, especially in terms of their strategic consequences and their long-term feasibility, as neither of them would provide the necessary deterrent effect.
“Israel might initially relocate the population of the Strip to tent cities to be followed later by the establishment of permanent communities in northern Sinai,” the document suggests.
In recent weeks, both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have vehemently rejected the idea of relocating Gazans to the Sinai.
“The US has publicly and privately opposed such plans. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called it a “non-starter” after his shuttle diplomacy immediately after Oct. 7,” Haaretz said.
Haaretz said US President Joe Biden and al-Sisi discussed “ensuring that Palestinians in Gaza are not displaced to Egypt or any other nation” as recently as this weekend.
The Israeli newspaper continued that the Intelligence Ministry confirmed the existence of the document, but a source familiar with the drafting of it said the Cabinet is not expected to debate the proposal and that the ministry is not the government entity that would be responsible for such decision-making.
Haaretz pointed out that “sources at the ministry minimized the importance of the document. But it is initial evidence that Israeli government officials are examining exit strategies after Israel’s goal of ending Hamas’ rule in Gaza is achieved,” adding “the document acknowledges that the relocation of the population of Gaza would not gain international legitimacy but claims that it would reduce the number of casualties among Gaza’s population.”
Regarding the official stance, the newspaper reported that “the Prime Minister's Office said in response for this article that this is an initial document of the kind that can be found in dozens of iterations at all levels of the government and the security services. The issue of ‘the day after’ has not been discussed at any official forum in Israel, which is now focused on eliminating Hamas’ governmental and military capabilities.”
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala
