Netanyahu to Form Team to Look into ‘Voluntary Migration’ of Palestinians

Palestinians run for cover from a raid near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City last November. (AFP)
Palestinians run for cover from a raid near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City last November. (AFP)
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Netanyahu to Form Team to Look into ‘Voluntary Migration’ of Palestinians

Palestinians run for cover from a raid near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City last November. (AFP)
Palestinians run for cover from a raid near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City last November. (AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to form a team to look into the deportation of thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, according to a Likud MK.

This announcement was made during a Likud meeting two days ago in response to a call by MK Danny Danon who is chairman of World Likud and former Israeli Ambassador to the UN.

The deportation of Palestinians is becoming more popular among the Israeli right-wing parties and to make it more acceptable they suggest that it is a “voluntary migration”.

Several Israeli plans have been made public, discussing the deportation of Gazans to Egypt. One was prepared by the Ministry of Intelligence and the second by the Psagot Institute.

Likud Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel published an article last month on this matter in The Jerusalem Post. The Israeli Embassy in Washington had to state that the article doesn’t represent the government.

Meanwhile, this suggestion sparked anger in Egypt and Jordan and the Arab countries took a unified stance against it.

The US Administration responded to Arab demands and announced absolute rejection of deportation of Palestinians.

Danon revealed that he has been contacted by "countries in Latin America and Africa that are willing to take refugees from the Gaza Strip."

Danon termed this solution as “very humanitarian”.

According to the MK, this is "voluntary migration of Palestinians who wish to leave."

"It happens in every war, look at what's happening in Syria – one and a half million went to Jordan, three million went to Türkiye and another few million went to Europe," Danon added.

"I think the Arab states have a duty to help the Palestinians. They should have the decency to help instead of making inflammatory speeches,” he added.

Danon said that a couple of weeks ago MK Ram Ben-Barak published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal in the same spirit.



Mikati: Lebanon in State of War, Resistance, Government Doing Their Duty

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati visits students sitting for official exams in the city of Tyre. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati visits students sitting for official exams in the city of Tyre. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Mikati: Lebanon in State of War, Resistance, Government Doing Their Duty

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati visits students sitting for official exams in the city of Tyre. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati visits students sitting for official exams in the city of Tyre. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Lebanon is in a state of war, stressing that the resistance and the government are “doing their duty” against Israel.

Mikati visited on Saturday the southern city of Tyre, where he inspected the Lebanese Army operations center. He also stopped at exam centers in the city, on the first day of the school official exams, accompanied by Education Minister Abbas Halabi

In remarks to reporters, the premier stressed that the resistance is doing its “duties”, and so is the Lebanese government.

“We are always advocates of peace, and our choice is the choice of peace and the implementation of UN Resolution 1701. It is incumbent upon Israel to cease its repeated attacks on Lebanon and halt the war in Gaza, with everyone adhering to UN Resolution 2735,” Mikati stated.

He continued: “The resistance is doing its duty, and the Lebanese government is doing its duty, and our goal is to protect the country in every sense of the word.”

He also praised the army for being the “backbone and shield of the nation.”

“We are in a state of war, and there have been a large number of martyrs among civilians and non-civilians, and many villages have been destroyed due to Israeli aggression,” he stated.

Halabi, for his part, spoke about the difficulties faced by students in the southern border towns given the conflict with Israel.

He had previously announced that buses were secured by the ministry to safely transport students from unstable areas to exam centers, guarded by Lebanese forces and UN peacekeepers.

Many of the students who were assigned centers in areas considered “safe” spoke of the difficulties they faced while preparing for exams, as many of them did not have access to the Internet in the shelter centers or homes to which they were displaced as a result of the Israeli bombing of their towns and villages.

The minister promised to take this issue into consideration, saying: “We will seek the opinion of educators on this matter, especially the Educational Center for Research and Development.”

The South Governorate boasts 29 official exam centers. The number of students who took their exams reached 5,470 out of 5,624.