"Concentration Camps" in Gaza? Former Israeli PMs Slam Netanyahu's Plans for Displaced Palestinians
Explosive accusations are rocking Israel's political landscape, with former Prime Ministers fiercely condemning Benjamin Netanyahu's government over controversial plans to establish a "humanitarian city" for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza. The proposals have been explicitly branded as "concentration camps" by some high-profile Israeli figures.
At the heart of the storm is Defense Minister Israel Katz's reported plan to build a "humanitarian city" on the ruins of Rafah, designed to house up to 600,000 displaced Palestinians initially, with the potential to relocate Gaza's entire two-million-plus population there.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (2006-2009) pulled no punches, unequivocally calling the proposed "humanitarian city" a "concentration camp." He warned, "If [the Palestinians] will be deported into the new 'humanitarian city,' then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing... It is to deport them, to push them and to throw them away." Olmert, a long-standing critic of Netanyahu, even suggested Israel's current actions in Gaza are "very close to a war crime."
Echoing concerns, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid (2022) slammed the idea as "a bad idea from every possible perspective – security, political, economic, logistical." While avoiding the term "concentration camp," Lapid stressed that if people are confined, "it's a detention camp." He further accused Netanyahu of indulging the "extreme fantasies" of far-right ministers.
The controversial plan, estimated to cost billions and fraught with logistical and security challenges, has also reportedly met with objections from the Israeli military itself, fearing it could hinder military objectives and ceasefire negotiations.
Globally, the UN and numerous human rights organizations have voiced outrage, fearing the proposals amount to forced displacement, potentially constituting war crimes. The use of such loaded terminology by former Israeli leaders underscores the gravity of the concerns about the future of Gaza's beleaguered population amidst the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
