Failure of Israel’s Project to Forcibly Displace Palestinians
TEHRAN (Defapress) - The Zionist regime’s project to forcibly displace Palestinians, which was pursued by intensifying military operations, widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the application of humanitarian pressure, was designed to force Palestinians to leave their land and change the demographic reality of the occupied territories.
However, the long and tireless resistance and persistence of the Palestinians and the Zionist regime’s inability to create a safe and sustainable path for the mass displacement of Palestinians have led to this policy failing. Accordingly, we see that with the limited reopening of the Rafah crossing, the process of returning Palestinians who had been trapped outside the Gaza Strip for more than two years has resumed.
On the other hand, we see that the Rafah crossing has been partially reopened and under severe restrictions since February 2. This crossing had been closed since May 2024, after the military operation of the Israeli army in the city of Rafah and its control over the Palestinian part. However, now, although traffic through this crossing has resumed, the process of exiting and entering passengers is still accompanied by extensive restrictions.
Accordingly, according to the news and reports prepared and published regarding the reopening of the Rafah crossing, it should be said that about 80,000 Palestinians outside Gaza have registered to return to this strip. This figure comes at a time when some Israeli officials have repeatedly spoken of plans to evacuate the population of Gaza in recent months. Observers believe that the Palestinians’ insistence on return has challenged the political calculations of these plans.
Although, a very important and noteworthy point is that despite the high volume of attacks and severe sieges, the majority of Palestinians have refused to leave their land. The historical experience of Palestine, especially the “Nakba”, has caused forced displacement to be perceived as the removal of identity and the loss of the right to return for the people of this land; an issue that has strengthened the will of social resistance.
Meanwhile, the Israeli project of forced displacement of Palestinians has also faced numerous and severe reactions at the international level. Human rights organizations and institutions affiliated with the United Nations have considered forced displacement to be an example of a “war crime” and a clear violation of international humanitarian law. Accordingly, the increasing pressure of global public opinion and widespread protests in various countries have greatly increased the political costs of this project for Tel Aviv.
On the other hand, the inability of the Zionist regime to attract the cooperation of neighboring countries to accept Palestinian refugees is another key factor in the failure of this plan. Despite political pressure, the governments of the region strongly oppose participating in a project that could lead to the consolidation of the occupation and the elimination of the Palestinian issue.
Another important issue is that regional and international analysts believe that the return of even one person to Gaza is a practical failure for the forced displacement project. According to them, the decision to return has two human and national dimensions: on the one hand, it restores family ties, and on the other, it expresses collective awareness of the consequences of forced displacement. Accordingly, the experience of the return of refugees to northern Gaza after the ceasefire has also shown the same approach.
Finally, a series of popular resistance, field restrictions, regional opposition, and international legal and media pressures have led the Zionist regime’s project for the forced displacement of Palestinians to fail; A defeat that has not only prevented Tel Aviv from achieving its short-term goals, but has also once again brought the issue of Palestine and its right to remain in its homeland back to the center of attention of world public opinion.
