This article explores how displacement is systematically implemented in Gaza, the forms it takes, its historical context, the modes of Palestinian resistance, and the evolving international legal perspective on these practices.
The concept of "ungrounding"
Displacement extends beyond the physical removal of people. It seeks to sever Palestinians’ historical, legal, and cultural ties to their land. This process of "ungrounding" includes:
Systematic methods of displacement
The 1948 Nakba — or “catastrophe” — was a pivotal moment, expelling more than 700,000 Palestinians from their homes. In southern Palestine and the Gaza Strip, many were relocated into overcrowded areas to facilitate control.
Fertile lands such as Barbara and Al-Jura were seized.
Control over water resources, including the destruction of Palestinian wells and infrastructure, created a crisis that persists in Gaza today.
1. Slow Violence and Clandestine Annihilation: Displacement often takes the form of “slow violence”: gradual, frequently invisible mechanisms that impose lethal living conditions. These include resource deprivation, siege, and severe movement restrictions. Though indirect, their long-term effects are no less devastating.
2. Architecture as a Weapon: Urban planning and infrastructure are deployed deliberately. Settlements, walls, bypass roads, and checkpoints fragment Palestinian territory, disrupt daily life, and prevent geographical continuity — tactics designed to entrench control and encourage flight.
3. Planning and Legal Practices: Administrative classifications such as “military zones,” “nature reserves,” and “archaeological sites” are used to justify evictions and prevent development. Denial of building permits and forced demolitions leave communities with no viable future, pushing them toward displacement.
Aid as displacement
The latest tool in this architecture of removal is the mechanism for distributing American–Israeli aid in Gaza. Managed by a U.S.-linked intelligence foundation and secured by the Israeli army, the process excludes independent local and international organizations.
Palestinian rights groups have denounced it as a "deadly threat" following Israeli gunfire at distribution points in Khan Younis, which killed dozens of civilians — including children, women, and the elderly.
The mechanism is seen not only as a violation of international humanitarian law but as a calculated policy to deepen the humanitarian crisis, facilitate displacement, and enact demographic change — even genocide — in the Strip.
Palestinian resistance to displacement and erasure
Despite systematic efforts, Palestinians have developed diverse and evolving forms of resistance:
The legal context: International Court of Justice (ICJ) and International Law
Drawing on recent commentary by Dr. Ambassador Namira Negm, the legal framing of displacement has evolved:
Modern legal frameworks now understand displacement not only as expulsion but also as any policy that renders life unlivable and forces departure — increasingly viewed under the lens of apartheid and ethnic cleansing.
UN resolutions and legal instruments
Key United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolutions — including 194 (1948), 237 (1967), 465 (1980), and 2024 — condemn displacement and affirm refugees' right of return while calling for an end to settlement activity.
Under international humanitarian law, including:
- The Hague Regulations and the Fourth Geneva Convention,
- The Rome Statute, which defines forced displacement as both a war crime and a crime against humanity,
- Customary international law, which upholds the right of return,
The displacement of Palestinians is unequivocally illegal.
Legal and Political Conclusions
The evidence overwhelmingly shows that the displacement of Palestinians constitutes a crime under international law. Israel’s policies meet the threshold of ethnic cleansing. “Voluntary migration” claims are widely viewed as a legal fiction designed to legitimize forced removal.
Confronting these policies demands coordinated legal, political, and grassroots responses.
Recommendations
1. Political and international action: Transform temporary ceasefires into sustainable peace with robust participation from Arab, Islamic, and global actors. Guarantee Palestinian rights and prevent further displacement.
2. Legal and media pressure: Pursue accountability at the ICJ and human rights institutions. Engage U.S.-based media and think tanks to spotlight violations.
3. Rejection of displacement plans: Expose and reject all displacement or “liquidation” schemes through diplomatic, legal, and media channels.
4. Legal documentation and oversight: Develop a comprehensive legal case documenting violations. Propose an Arab–international emergency committee to monitor mass displacement.
5. Egyptian national security: Reject border-opening proposals as political solutions. Support Sinai’s development to prevent a demographic vacuum.
6. Public and media awareness: Unify Egypt–Palestine messaging. Launch global campaigns involving researchers, journalists, and students to expose displacement strategies.
7. Humanitarian and economic support: Reinforce Palestinian resilience by investing in infrastructure and securing access to water, electricity, food, and medicine.
8. Internal Palestinian coordination: Promote unity among Palestinian factions, ensuring a unified stance against forced displacement and reaffirming the right to remain.
* The author is director of the Centre for Global Affairs and a professor in the Political Science Department at the Badr University in Cairo (BUC).
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