Israel is accused of ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza by a former defence minister.

 

By accusing Israel of ethnically cleansing Palestinians in northern Gaza, a highly respected former Israeli defence minister has sparked a controversy.

Moshe Ya'alon, the former chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and a member of the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, stated that he thought Israel was turning into a "corrupt and leprous fascist Messianic state" and losing its identity as a liberal democracy. Ya'alon served in the IDF for thirty years.


Ya'alon told Israel's Democrat TV, "Look at northern Gaza—conquering, annexing, ethnic cleansing."

Ya'alon's use of the term "ethnic cleansing" surprised the journalist, who said, "Is that what you think – that we're on the way there?" 

"Why is it 'on the way?'" he answered. "What is going on over there? Beit Lahia does not exist. Beit Hanoun does not exist. He mentioned the IDF, saying, "They're operating in Jabalya right now, and basically, they're cleaning the area of Arabs."

Targeting what it claims are resurgent Hamas militants, the Israeli military has been conducting a bloody and aggressive campaign in northern Gaza for the past two months. All people have been instructed to relocate to a humanitarian region in southern Gaza for their own safety.

After being ordered to evacuate to parts of Gaza that are also the target of Israeli strikes for over a year, thousands of Palestinian people have refused to leave. The World Food Programme reports that very few assistance deliveries have been permitted into northern Gaza.

In response to Ya'alon, the Israeli military claimed that it was acting "in accordance with international law, and evacuates civilians based on operational necessity, for their own protection," refuting claims that it was ethnically cleansing northern Gaza.

A plan for Gaza's governance after the conflict has not yet been unveiled by the authorities. Although Israel took the plan into consideration, it has denied that it is carrying out a "surrender or starve" strategy in northern Gaza that was proposed by retired military commander Giora Eiland.

In a second interview with Channel 12, Ya'alon stated, "I held up a mirror to the statements of many ministers and Knesset (parliament) members in the government." "This title effectively carries out ethnic cleansing; I can't think of another term for it."

Such a word, according to the interviewer, conjured up "dark periods" in history.


That's correct, and I deliberately used this phrase to raise concerns', the former defence minister retorted.

Since almost the beginning of the conflict, with Hamas' October 7, 2023, offensive, radical elements in Israeli politics have advocated for Jewish colonisation in Gaza. Soldiers in Gaza have consistently advocated for the restoration of Gush Katif, the settlements that were destroyed when Israel unilaterally left the region in 2005.

 The concepts have also acquired traction: a Gush Katif meeting near the Gaza border in October drew hundreds of activists and a number of high-ranking government ministers.

Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far-right finance minister, stated in an interview with Israel TV channel Kan on Monday that "we need to stay there, we need to establish a flourishing Jewish settlement there." "Because this is Israel's land and because it ensures the safety of the people living in the South."


In recent weeks, Ya'alon joined an increasing number of people who have called Israel's military assault in northern Gaza "ethnic cleansing."

At the end of October, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz ran an editorial with the subject, "If it looks like ethnic cleansing, it probably is." In a 154-page report released last month, Human Rights Watch claimed that Israel had supervised the systematic and intentional mass exodus of Palestinians from Gaza, which is tantamount to a crime against humanity and a war crime. "It is not by chance that the words 'ethnic cleansing' are increasingly used to describe what is going on in north Gaza," stated Josep Borrell, the senior ambassador for the European Union.

Last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant were the targets of arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court, which stated that it had "reasonable grounds" to suspect Netanyahu of war crimes, including "starvation as a method of warfare" and "the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts." Additionally, it issued a warrant for a high-ranking Hamas official.

The former defence minister claimed that after witnessing the events in Gaza, he was no longer able to refer to the IDF by its frequently used moniker as the "most moral" military in the world.


"Today, the IDF is not the most moral army," he declared. "That is difficult for me to say."

Former military colleagues harshly criticised his intervention. In a statement, politician Benny Gantz, the former chief of staff of the IDF, said, "To lie and harm the State of Israel and the IDF is not following a compass – this is lawlessness." "The IDF has gone above and beyond to reduce civilian casualties," claimed Naftali Bennett, a member of the Sayeret Matkal commando squad. For their own safety, the populace is relocated away from danger. The IDF has an obligation to do so in addition to having the right to do so.

Ya'alon's remarks were directed at politicians, who he claimed have other agendas in mind, whereas military leaders may think their activities are only operational.

According to Ya'alon, "I'm talking about soldiers moving populations, thinking it's for operational purposes." The avowed settlers Smotrich, Ben Gvir, Strook, and Daniela Weiss have stated that their objective is "an open and declared one."