Bold Resistance To Forced Relocation Of Palestinians

By Lovemore Chazingwa
Correspondent

Following the shocking decision by United States president Donald Trump to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt, there has been heightened dissent on such a move described by experts as a trample on Palestinian rights and condemning them to refugee status in their homeland.
Empirical evidence has it that, relocating more people to foreign land puts pressure on available resources thereby, suffocating host nation budgets.
Host territories are known to be heavily saddled by higher demand for social services and attendant infrastructure systems due to already blugeouning populations. The pilling of more people on already strained resources is insensitive, at the same time dehumanizing, to say the least.
Those displaced populations, authoritative reports note, have so much to lose as they will encounter a plethora of challenges in foreign territory. Conversely, should they want to invest in immovable property, it is a tough calling.
Obviously, their life savings may eventually go to waste.
*A bitter pill.*
The family discord is inherently traumatising. A significant chunk of their ties and rights are curtailed as they can be treated as second class citizens.
So much is lost along the way culturally, sentimentally and historically.
Respected international relations analyst, Rashweat Mukudu shares his informed view on the proposal thus, “Any proposal to remove Palestinians from their ancestral land is totally unacceptable, violation of International Law and significant escalation by a global power targeting vulnerable people who have been attacked to the levels of genocide in this past two and a half years. To then say those people must be displaced is adding salt to the injuries that millions of Palestinians have already suffered. I think that violation goes against all the human rights principles and conventions that the civilized world adheres to that have been promoted by the rest of the world over a number of years. This is totally and utterly unacceptable. It will be resisted by the Palestinians and all people in the world who believe in freedom and human rights. The encouragement is for the US Government to play a positive role in implemention of The Oslo Agreement on The Two-State Solution so that Palestinians have stable livelihoods without darting from place to place running away from bullets but, live a normal lives like the rest of the world.”
Commenting, Palestine Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Dr. Tamer Almassri equates that proposal to the catastrophic 1948 Nakba: “The Embassy of the State of Palestine in Zimbabwe strongly rejects the proposal by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu to expel all Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt, in a blatant attempt to facilitate the takeover of our homeland by the United States and Israel. This outrageous plan is a direct violation of International Law and a gross infringement on the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. The idea of forcibly removing Palestinians from their ancestral homeland is a reprehensible act of ethnic cleansing, which is a war crime under International Law. It is a stark reminder of the Nakba, the catastrophic displacement of Palestinians in 1948, which resulted in the loss of lives, homes, and livelihoods of millions of innocent people.”
Declaring, “The Palestinian people will never allow such a tragedy to occur again. The notion that Palestinians can be relocated to other countries is a gross misunderstanding of their history, identity, and fundamental human rights. Palestinians are not refugees to be resettled but, a nation with a rich heritage and a legitimate claim to their homeland. The Palestinian struggle is not about finding a new home, it is about reclaiming their rightful place in their own homeland, with Jerusalem as the capital. Any attempt to deny Palestinians this right is a direct challenge to their dignity, sovereignty, and their very existence.”
Dr. Almassri views the proposal as not only rewarding war crime against humanity but, a move that will embolden Israel in its extremist and fascist manouvres.
”The forced removal of Palestinians from Gaza would not only reward a state that has committed genocidal crimes in Gaza but, would also embolden its extremist and fascist leadership into perpetuating more crimes against innocent Palestinians. The international community must not turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed against the Palestinian people. Instead, it must hold Israel accountable for its actions and recognize the State of Palestine as a sovereign entity, with the right to self-determination and independence.
”The only path to peace is through the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital. This is the only way to end the occupation, stop the suffering of Palestinian people, and bring about a just and lasting peace in the region. Any attempt to impose a solution that ignores their rights, dignity, and existence is doomed to fail. The Palestinian people, will never raise the white flag of surrender to Israel or abandon their homeland and identity.”
Amb. Dr. Almassri reiterates that, ”Palestinian rights are non-negotiable and the Palestinian people alone have the right to make decisions on their future and calls on all nations and international bodies to reject these plans for ethnic cleansing as such actions are contrary to established International Laws and norms regarding human rights and self-determination.”
Firebrand political expert, Dr Pedzisayi Ruhanya incisively footnotes such proposed brutal relocation of Palestinians,
“That proposition is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. It’s tantamount to ethnic cleansing, which the UN and the Arab League would not accept.”
Stateless nationals face a plethora of challenges including lack of legal recognition and protection.