On Wednesday, President Joe Biden told reporters that he asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a pause in the fighting in Gaza, and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said that Biden and Netanyahu discussed the possibility of carrying out “tactical pauses” in the fighting in Gaza for humanitarian reasons, as well as for the possible release of hostages.
No one mentioned a ceasefire. When Biden was asked directly if a ceasefire is possible in the near future, he responded with a flat, No.
And then, on Thursday morning, Kirby told a White House press gaggle that “there will now be two humanitarian corridors allowing people to flee the areas of hostilities in the northern part of Gaza. The first such corridor, open between four and five hours every day for the past few days, has already enabled many thousands of people to reach safer areas in the south, away from the main area of ground operations.”
“The second route, along the coastal road, will enable many more thousands to reach safer areas in the south,” Kirby continued, adding, “Of course, we remain concerned that Hamas will discourage or prevent civilians from fleeing.”
State Dept. Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel reiterated on Thursday that “there will be two humanitarian corridors allowing people to flee the areas of hostilities in the northern part of Gaza. The first such corridor open between four and five hours every day for the past few days has already enabled many thousands of people to reach safer areas. The second route along the coastal road will enable many more thousands to reach safer areas in the south. And of course, we are continuing to work closely with our Israeli partners to address and remain vigilant about efforts from Hamas to discourage and prevent civilians from fleeing this area.”
Identical messages.
Patel was asked, what’s the US position on whether these people will have a right of return to their homes in northern Gaza, including Gaza City.
Patel answered that “forced relocation of Palestinian civilians from Gaza is not something that we support. It’s not a policy that we are pursuing. And additionally, Palestinian civilians who may call Gaza home we believe should have the ability to return if they had needed to depart for whatever reason over the course of this conflict.”
Here’s the thing, though: there are no homes left in northern Gaza. According to the latest reports, relying on satellite images, more than a third of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have been demolished. There are no buildings, no streets, no shops, no medical facilities, no schools, it’s all been turned to rubble. Where will they go back to?
The Prime Minister’s Office issued this statement on Thursday: “The fighting continues and there will be no ceasefire without the release of our hostages. Israel is allowing safe transit corridors from the north of the Strip to the south, as 50,000 Gazans did just yesterday. And we emphasize again: We call once again on the civilian population in Gaza to evacuate to the south.”
On Thursday I reported that Haaretz editor-in-chief Aluf Benn suggested that after Israel expelled the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to the south on the grounds that it was a humanitarian measure designed to protect their lives, now it has a strategic card in its hands: it will not agree to withdraw, return the residents, and allow the reconstruction of the city – as long as the keys are to be handed over to Hamas (Haaretz Chief Editor: The New Nakba Is Israel’s Tiebreaker in War Against Hamas).
Many in Israel have been saying in recent weeks that a resolute victory over Hamas in Gaza must include two outcomes: 1. Placing a thick layer of landmines in kilometer-wide swath of land around the entire Gaza Strip, to guarantee that any Arab who tries to sneak across dies; 2. Resettling the exiled Jews of the 17 Gish Katif communities.
That second part has become the latest bone of contention between right and left in Israel, with the mainstream media standing on its hind legs trying to brand this a reckless, extremist, messianic idea. But, as usual, when the left hates something with a passion, it must be good.
Finally: here’s another idea whose time has come – voluntary migration. With Hamas out of the picture and unable to murder the Arab youths in Gaza who wish to leave, Israel should establish NGOs that will offer every Gazan youngster $10 thousand and a one-way ticket to South American countries that are lousy with thriving Arab populations. Considering that one Iron Dome rocket costs around $30 thousand, this is an unbelievable savings. And after it proves to be a success in Gaza, why there are all the nice folks under the Palestinian Authority who would be delighted to start a new life in the New World.
Let’s get it right this time.
