This came in a letter, the second of its kind in recent weeks, addressed by MPs to British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and published by The Guardian on Saturday. The letter emphasized the need to take "concrete and swift steps" to halt forced displacement and move forward with formal recognition of the State of Palestine.
The MPs noted that their letter comes in the wake of Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz's announcement of plans to "force the displacement of all Gaza residents to a camp built on the ruins of Rafah, without allowing them to leave," as a prelude to their subsequent deportation outside the Strip.
British MPs described the plan as "clear ethnic cleansing," warning of its grave repercussions for Palestinian civilians and the future of stability in the region.
The letter read: "We are writing to you with deep concern about the Israeli Defense Minister's announcement that he intends to forcibly transfer all Palestinian civilians in Gaza to a camp inside the devastated city of Rafah and prevent them from leaving, a flagrant violation of international law."
The MPs quoted prominent Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard as describing the plan as "an operational plan to commit crimes against humanity." They explained that it aims to confine the Gaza Strip's population to its far south, in preparation for their permanent expulsion.
At the end of their letter, the representatives warned against Britain's continued refusal to recognize the State of Palestine, stressing that "this refusal undermines London's declared policy of supporting the two-state solution and effectively contributes to the entrenchment of the occupation and the gradual annexation of Palestinian territories."
On Monday, Katz revealed the outlines of a new plan to establish what he called a "humanitarian city" of tents on the ruins of Rafah. The plan includes transferring 600,000 Palestinians to the city in an initial phase after undergoing strict security screening. They will not be allowed to leave later.
According to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, the alleged city will be established between the Philadelphi and Morag axes in the southern Gaza Strip. In the next phase, all Palestinians from Gaza will be gathered there, before mechanisms are implemented to encourage what it claims is the "voluntary migration" of Palestinians there.
With absolute American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 195,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands displaced.
