Latest news with #Olmert
Mint
a day ago
- Politics
- Mint
Israel's ex-PM Ehud Olmert draws Nazi comparison: Netanyahu's Gaza ‘humanitarian city' would be a ‘concentration camp'
The 'humanitarian city' proposed by Israel's defence minister to be built on the ruins of Rafah would in effect be a concentration camp, and forcing Palestinians into it would amount to ethnic cleansing, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has warned. Israel's defence ministry has reportedly floated a plan to confine a large portion of Gaza's population to a heavily damaged, tightly controlled zone in the southern part of the Gaza enclave, in Rafah, bordering Egypt. The controversial proposal risks derailing ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. In recent weeks, Israeli officials have briefed journalists and international diplomats on an informal plan to relocate hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians to an area near the Gaza-Egypt border, under Israeli military control. While the Israeli government has yet to officially confirm or comment on the proposal, the concept of a new encampment in southern Gaza was first introduced by Defence Minister Israel Katz. He reportedly shared the idea with Israeli military correspondents during a briefing, The New York Times reported. Katz has reportedly directed the Israeli military to begin drafting operational plans for the 'humanitarian city', to be built on the rubble of southern Gaza. The encampment would initially accommodate 600,000 people and ultimately house Gaza's entire population, which exceeds two million. 'It is a concentration camp. I am sorry,' Olmert said bluntly to the Guardian when asked about Katz's proposal. 'If they [Palestinians] will be deported into the new 'humanitarian city', then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing. It hasn't yet happened,' he said, adding that such a move would be 'the inevitable interpretation' of creating a camp for hundreds of thousands of people. Olmert clarified to the Guardian that he does not currently consider Israel's campaign in Gaza to be ethnic cleansing. He argued that the evacuation of civilians to protect them from conflict is permitted under international law and noted that many Palestinians have returned to areas where Israeli military operations have ended. However, the former prime minister has been sharply critical of Israel's military conduct and political leadership throughout the Gaza conflict. In May, he told CNN he could no longer defend Israel against accusations of war crimes. 'What is it if not a war crime?' he asked rhetorically, pointing the finger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right cabinet members, accusing them of 'committing actions which can't be interpreted any other way'. Olmert said that after months of inflammatory rhetoric — including statements by ministers calling for Gaza to be 'cleansed' and plans to construct Israeli settlements there — the claim that the 'humanitarian city' is meant to protect Palestinians rings hollow. 'When they build a camp where they [plan to] 'clean' more than half of Gaza, then the inevitable understanding of the strategy of this [is that] it is not to save [Palestinians]. It is to deport them, to push them and to throw them away. There is no other understanding that I have, at least,' Olmert said. The 'humanitarian city' is a proposed Israeli initiative to construct a massive, enclosed zone in southern Gaza, built on the ruins of Rafah. The camp would serve as a settlement for displaced Palestinians, beginning with 600,000 and eventually expanding to the entire population of Gaza — over two million people. The Israeli government, under Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Katz, claims the initiative aims to offer humanitarian assistance and encourage voluntary emigration. The zone would be monitored by the Israeli military 'from a distance' to ensure security. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office hit back at Olmert's remarks, branding him a 'convicted felon disgracing Israel on CNN.' 'We evacuate civilians. Hamas blocks them. He calls that a war crime?' the statement read, referencing Olmert's 16-month prison sentence for corruption, served before his release in 2017. Despite the backlash, Olmert — who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2009 — doubled down on his criticism, particularly given the gravity of comparing Israeli actions to Nazi-era concentration camps, a comparison rarely made in Israeli political discourse. Yet, Olmert maintained that this was the 'inevitable interpretation' of the current plans. Yair Lapid, leader of Israel's opposition, also condemned the humanitarian city proposal, accusing Netanyahu of enabling far-right ministers to 'run wild with extreme fantasies just to preserve his coalition.' On social media, Lapid urged a ceasefire and demanded the return of hostages. Hamas has pointed to Katz's plan as a major roadblock to any renewed ceasefire. In return for releasing around 25 hostages, Hamas demands Israeli troop withdrawals from most of Gaza. However, the proposed encampment would ensure continued Israeli control over a strategic area, undermining Hamas's objectives. Senior Hamas official Husam Badran denounced the encampment proposal as a 'deliberately obstructive demand' that would hinder already fragile peace talks. 'This would be an isolated city that resembles a ghetto,' Badran said in a text message. 'This is utterly unacceptable, and no Palestinian would agree to this.'
Egypt Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Former Israeli leader says planned ‘humanitarian city' in Gaza would be a ‘concentration camp'
Jerusalem CNN — A planned 'humanitarian city' inside Gaza intended to hold hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be a 'concentration camp,' former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has warned. Defense Minister Israel Katz said last week he had told the military to advance plans for the zone, which would eventually contain the entire population of Gaza. The area would be built on the ruins of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, and once Palestinians enter the zone, they would not be allowed to leave. Katz also vowed to implement a plan for the emigration of Palestinians from Gaza. 'It is a concentration camp. I am sorry,' Olmert told The Guardian newspaper on Sunday. 'If they (Palestinians) will be deported into the new 'humanitarian city', then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing.' In response to Olmert's comments, the Prime Minister's Office called him a 'convicted felon disgracing Israel on CNN.' In a statement, the office said: 'We evacuate civilians. Hamas blocks them. He calls that a war crime?' Olmert was freed from prison in 2017 after serving 16 months on corruption charges. Olmert has previously blasted the conduct of the Israeli military in Gaza and the country's political leadership. In May, he said he could no longer defend Israel against accusations of war crimes. 'What is it if not a war crime?' he asked rhetorically in an interview with CNN. He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right members of his government are 'committing actions which can't be interpreted any other way.' More than 58,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The latest comments from Olmert, who served as Israel's prime minister from 2006-2009, go much further in criticizing the country's intentions in Gaza, however, especially since comparisons to Nazi concentration camps in Israel is considered virtually unthinkable. But Olmert said it was the 'inevitable interpretation' of the plans. People make their way past the rubble of houses in Rafah, Gaza, in January 2025, a day after a now-defunct ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas came into effect. AFP/Getty Images 'When they build a camp where they (plan to) 'clean' more than half of Gaza, then the inevitable understanding of the strategy of this (is that) it is not to save (Palestinians). It is to deport them, to push them and to throw them away,' Olmert told the Guardian. Katz's plans for what he dubbed the 'humanitarian city' were discussed at a meeting with Netanyahu on Sunday evening, according to a source familiar with the matter. But after Israeli news outlets reported that it would take months to build the zone and billions of dollars, the source said Netanyahu asked to make its establishment shorter and less expensive. Yair Lapid, the head of Israel's opposition, blasted the plans as an attempt by Netanyahu to let his far-right government partners 'run wild with extreme fantasies just to preserve his coalition.' In a statement on social media, Lapid called to 'end the war and bring back the hostages.' Michael Sfard, an Israeli human rights lawyer, told CNN last week that Katz's plan amounts to the forcible transfer of a population in preparation for deportation. Both of these are war crimes, Sfard said. 'If they are done on a massive scale – whole communities – they can amount to crimes against humanity,' Sfard added, dismissing the notion that any departure from Gaza could be considered voluntary.
Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Former Israeli leader says ‘humanitarian city' in Gaza would be a ‘concentration camp'
JERUSALEM — A planned 'humanitarian city' inside Gaza intended to hold hundreds of thousands of Palestinians would be a 'concentration camp,' former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has warned. Defense Minister Israel Katz said last week he had told the military to advance plans for the zone, which would eventually contain the entire population of Gaza. The area would be built on the ruins of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, and once Palestinians enter the zone, they would not be allowed to leave. Katz also vowed to implement a plan for the emigration of Palestinians from Gaza. 'It is a concentration camp. I am sorry,' Olmert told The Guardian newspaper on Sunday. 'If they (Palestinians) will be deported into the new 'humanitarian city', then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing.' In response to Olmert's comments, the Prime Minister's Office called him a 'convicted felon disgracing Israel on CNN.' In a statement, the office said: 'We evacuate civilians. Hamas blocks them. He calls that a war crime?' Olmert was freed from prison in 2017 after serving 16 months on corruption charges. Olmert has previously blasted the conduct of the Israeli military in Gaza and the country's political leadership. In May, he said he could no longer defend Israel against accusations of war crimes. 'What is it if not a war crime?' he asked rhetorically in an interview with CNN. He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right members of his government are 'committing actions which can't be interpreted any other way.' More than 58,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The latest comments from Olmert, who served as Israel's prime minister from 2006-2009, go much further in criticizing the country's intentions in Gaza, however, especially since comparisons to Nazi concentration camps in Israel is considered virtually unthinkable. But Olmert said it was the 'inevitable interpretation' of the plans. 'When they build a camp where they (plan to) 'clean' more than half of Gaza, then the inevitable understanding of the strategy of this (is that) it is not to save (Palestinians). It is to deport them, to push them and to throw them away,' Olmert told the Guardian. Katz's plans for what he dubbed the 'humanitarian city' were discussed at a meeting with Netanyahu on Sunday evening, according to a source familiar with the matter. But after Israeli news outlets reported that it would take months to build the zone and billions of dollars, the source said Netanyahu asked to make its establishment shorter and less expensive. Yair Lapid, the head of Israel's opposition, blasted the plans as an attempt by Netanyahu to let his far-right government partners 'run wild with extreme fantasies just to preserve his coalition.' In a statement on social media, Lapid called to 'end the war and bring back the hostages.' Michael Sfard, an Israeli human rights lawyer, told CNN last week that Katz's plan amounts to the forcible transfer of a population in preparation for deportation. Both of these are war crimes, Sfard said. 'If they are done on a massive scale – whole communities – they can amount to crimes against humanity,' Sfard added, dismissing the notion that any departure from Gaza could be considered voluntary. — CNN
Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Ex-Israeli PM calls Gaza 'humanitarian city' a concentration camp
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has condemned the government's proposed 'humanitarian city' in Rafah, calling it a concentration camp and warning it could amount to ethnic cleansing. 'It is a concentration camp. I am sorry,' Olmert told The Guardian. 'If they [Palestinians] will be deported into the new 'humanitarian city', then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing. It hasn't yet happened,' he added. Olmert went on to say that building a camp designed to remove over half of Gaza's population cannot be understood as a humanitarian measure. 'There is no other understanding that I have at least,' he said. 'It is not to save [Palestinians]. It is to deport them, to push them and to throw them away.'
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Israel is planning a concentration camp, says former prime minister
Ehud Olmert told the Guardian Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank and plans for building a camp would mark an escalation. Israel Katz said earlier this month he has ordered Israel's military to prepare for establishing a camp, which he called a 'humanitarian city', on the ruins of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. The project is backed by Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Plans would see Palestinians have to go through 'security screening' before entering, and once inside would not be allowed to leave. 'It is a concentration camp. I am sorry,' Olmert said, when asked about the plans laid out by Katz. READ MORE: BBC host takes issue with expert over 'Israeli concentration camps' Israeli forces would control the perimeter of the camp and plan to initially 'move' 600,000 Palestinians into the site, mostly people currently displaced in the al-Mawasi area, Katz reportedly said at a briefing for Israeli journalists. 'If they [Palestinians] will be deported into the new 'humanitarian city', then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing. It hasn't yet happened,' Olmert said. That would be 'the inevitable interpretation' of any attempt to create a camp for hundreds of thousands of people, Olmert, who led Israel from 2006 to 2009, said. He added that after months of violent rhetoric, including calls from ministers to 'cleanse' Gaza, government claims that the 'humanitarian city' aimed to protect Palestinians were not credible. He said: 'When they build a camp where they [plan to] 'clean' more than half of Gaza, then the inevitable understanding of the strategy of this [is that] it is not to save [Palestinians]. It is to deport them, to push them and to throw them away. There is no other understanding that I have, at least.' Olmert described extremist cabinet ministers who backed violence in Gaza and the West Bank – where they have authorised major settlement expansions and control law enforcement with a view to expanding the borders of Israel – as the "enemy from within". Olmert did not consider Israel's current campaign was ethnic cleansing because, he said, evacuating civilians to protect them from fighting was legal under international law, and Palestinians had returned to areas where military operations had finished. READ MORE: Six children among 10 people killed by Israel at water point Last week, Baroness Helana Kennedy told the BBC that taking 'it to a level where you force people out of the places that they live in and force them into camps, a concentration camp, is absolutely not in accordance with law, but it seems that law doesn't matter anymore'. The KC said: 'We're seeing the unravelling of the international consensus around that rules-based order that was created after the Second World War." She said she wanted to see the UK be more vocal in its condemnation and "to call war crimes what they are". Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Katz's plans were a "sticking point" in ceasefire negotiations. Olmert spoke on the day funerals were held in the occupied West Bank for two Palestinian men after they were killed by Israeli settlers. He said the attacks were war crimes. "[It is] unforgivable. Unacceptable. There are continuous operations organised, orchestrated in the most brutal, criminal manner by a large group," Olmert said. He said attitudes inside Israel might start to shift only when Israelis started to feel the burden of international pressure, as he called for stronger international intervention. Olmert is working with the former Palestinian foreign minister Nasser al-Kidwa to push for a two-state solution internationally, and believes that a historic settlement could be in reach – an end to the war in Gaza in exchange for normalisation of ties with Saudi Arabia – if only Netanyahu was able or willing to take it. Over the weekend Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 32 people, including six children at a water collection point, while the Palestinian death toll passed 58,000 after 21 months of war, local health officials said.
