The assault on Gaza City: a new step towards mass deportation
The military offensive against Gaza City occurs just one day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's stay in Israel, a significant circumstance because it confirms that the offensive has Washington's approval. In fact, each of Benjamin Netanyahu's initiatives so far, even the most aggressive, have enjoyed the unconditional support of President Donald Trump, both in his first and second terms.
Everything seems to indicate that the prime minister's objective is to prepare the ground for the mass deportation of Palestinians, a an issue that has been discussed for over a year and which has the public endorsement of government ministers, which Netanyahu has not denied. What is still unclear is whether the expulsion will affect the entire population of the Strip, 2.3 million people, or only a portion.
In the days leading up to Rubio's arrival, and especially in the hours before, there was a debate in Israel related to this issue. Some ministers indicated that there were two issues that Netanyahu would discuss with the Secretary of State: the deportation of Palestinians from Gaza and the annexation of most of the West Bank.
After the visit, Israeli leaders have not spoken about these two issues again, and Rubio has remained silent. Let us remember that President Trump already spoke about the deportation of Palestinians a few months ago, when he was going to announce that he would build a Riviera on the Strip.
Talks with Indonesia, Libya and Sudan
On the other hand, the Israeli government acknowledges that negotiations are underway, led by Washington, with third countries, such as Indonesia, Libya, and Sudan, among others, to welcome "voluntary" refugees from Gaza in exchange for political and economic benefits.
Another indication that Netanyahu is moving in that direction is the unusual speech he gave on Monday, while Rubio was still in the country. The prime minister said that Israel is heading toward international isolation and will have to act like ancient Sparta, which was always prepared for war.
The opposition has reminded him that Sparta lost the war against Persia and has criticized him precisely for Israel's growing international isolation. But the fact that Netanyahu speaks in such tragic terms, as if Israel were any pariah country, which is what the opposition claims, is perhaps an indication that the war against Gaza will be the final one.
In the same speech, Netanyahu said that Qatar and China are leading a global campaign against Israel, and that Muslim communities in Europe are, for the first time, influencing anti-Israel policies on the continent.
Nearly two years after the Hamas attack that left more than 1,200 Israelis dead, Netanyahu believes he can redeem himself by expelling the population of Gaza and annexing most of the West Bank to Israel. It is as if he wants this to be his legacy and not the tragedy of October 7: the consolidation of eternal Israel throughout all of historic Palestine with only a small number of Palestinians.