Israel Plans To Move Palestinians To Fragile South Sudan, Framing Forced Displacement As ‘Voluntary Migration'

India.com

14 hours ago

Jerusalem: Israel has opened a channel with South Sudan. The talks focus on sending Palestinians from Gaza to the East African nation. The Associated Press confirmed the discussions through six people familiar with the matter. The extent of progress in the talks remains unknown.
If the plan moves forward, Palestinians would leave a war-torn coastal strip and arrive in another country still marked by conflict and hunger. Human rights groups see major risks in the idea.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu links the plan to what he calls 'voluntary migration'. He has voiced interest in a large-scale relocation of Gaza's residents.
In an interview with i24 TV, he said, 'I think that the right thing to do, even according to the laws of war as I know them, is to allow the population to leave, and then you go in with all your might against the enemy who remains there.'
He made no mention of South Sudan in that interview.
Palestinians, global rights advocates and many governments reject the relocation proposal. They describe it as a direct path to permanent removal from Gaza. They argue that it violates international law.
South Sudan sees possible benefits in the talks. The country wants stronger links with Israel. It also seeks better access to the Donald Trump administration in the United States. The U.S. president floated the idea of moving Gaza's residents in February. The momentum around the idea later faded.
Neither Israel's Foreign Ministry nor South Sudan's foreign minister has issued a public comment. The U.S. State Department refuses to confirm or deny details of private diplomacy.
Joe Szlavik, head of a U.S. lobbying firm linked to South Sudan, says he received a briefing from South Sudanese officials. He claims an Israeli delegation plans to visit to assess possible camp locations for Palestinians, though no date has been set. He says Israel would cover the cost of temporary facilities.
Edmund Yakani, leader of a South Sudanese civil society group, confirmed AP that he too has spoken with officials about the matter. Four other officials with direct knowledge also confirmed the development while talking to the news agency.
Citing two Egyptian officials, the report says they have known for months about Israel's search for a host country. They confirm that South Sudan has been on the list. They also say they are working to persuade South Sudan to reject the plan. Egypt strongly opposes the relocation of Palestinians out of Gaza.
Israel and the United States have also reportedly spoken with Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland about similar arrangements. The status of those contacts remains unclear.
According to Szlavik, the United States knows about the discussions but is not part of them. He says South Sudan seeks the removal of sanctions on certain elites and a lifting of a travel ban. He highlights the country has already accepted eight deportees from the United States.
South Sudan's leaders view alliances as a path to more funding and diplomatic protection.
Many Palestinians in Gaza face war, hunger and disease. Some might want to leave temporarily, but most reject permanent resettlement. They see Gaza as central to their homeland. They fear they will never return if they depart. Far-right Israeli ministers push to annex Gaza and restore Jewish settlements.
Even those willing to leave may avoid South Sudan. The country ranks among the most unstable in the world. Since independence in 2011, it has suffered a civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people and caused famine.
Corruption remains high. The economy depends on foreign aid to feed 11 million residents. A peace deal signed seven years ago has not ended tensions. The main Opposition leader is now under house arrest.
Yakani warns that Palestinians could face hostility in South Sudan. The country's long war against Sudan set Christian and animist southerners against a largely Muslim and Arab north.