The proposal of the minister of intelligence: transfer of Gaza residents to Sinai

After not being heard throughout the war, Gila Gamliel and her office recommend in an internal document an extreme course of forced displacement of the residents of Gaza. The Egyptian president opposes the transfer that would make Sinai a base for attacks against Israel

by Amitai Gazit

06:00, 24.10.23

For those who were not satisfied with the coup d’état, the Israeli government is now promoting new ideas for the Gaza Strip. According to a document obtained by Calcalist, Intelligence Minister Gila Gamaliel recommends the transfer of Gaza residents to Sinai at the end of the war.

The document bears the logo of the Ministry of Intelligence and is used for internal discussions between government ministries. It is not supposed to reach the public, but it reached a group that is currently establishing a movement called the “Settlement Headquarters - Gaza Strip” that seeks to return the settlement to the Gaza Strip. It is possible that the document, which will probably not affect the government’s policy, was written to give support to the movement and its goals and therefore also reached her hands. In any case, this is a direct continuation of the extreme policy that the government has been promoting since it was established.

Gamaliel’s document ostensibly examines three alternatives for the post-war era, but the alternative “that will yield positive and long-term strategic results” is the transfer of Gaza’s citizens to Sinai. The move includes three stages: the establishment of tent cities in Sinai southwest of the Gaza Strip, the creation of a humanitarian corridor to aid the residents, and finally the construction of cities in northern Sinai. At the same time, a sterile zone several kilometers wide will be established inside Egypt south of the border with Israel, so that the evacuated residents will not be able to return. In addition, the document calls for the creation of cooperation with as many countries as possible so that they can take in the Palestinians displaced from Gaza and provide them with absorption baskets. Canada, European countries such as Greece and Spain, and North African countries are mentioned among others.

The document drew international criticism and states that the move is better than other options because fighting after the evacuation of the residents will lead to fewer casualties. In addition, the document claims that already on the eve of the war, many residents of Gaza asked to emigrate.

Those who are not familiar with the structure of the government and had come across the document might think that it reflects an official plan of the State of Israel. But there is a big gap between the logo of the Ministry of Intelligence and the actual influence of this tiny office on government policy. Its annual budget is about NIS 25 million and none of the intelligence and security agencies are subordinate to it. According to the former Minister of Intelligence, MK Elazar Stern, “the ministry has no ministerial responsibility for the intelligence agencies. They can consider the recommendations, and they can also not.” Stern added that “Gamliel has a small team, but she can put out works for an extreme research institute. The right has all kinds of ecclesiastical-like bodies for every field.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi opposes the forced displacement of Gaza residents to Sinai and stated that such a move would turn Sinai into a base for attacks against Israel. However, according to Gamliel’s document, in international law Egypt has an obligation to allow the transfer of population. The analysis in the document is based on assumptions that led Israel from the beginning to come to terms with the model of splitting the Palestinian leadership between Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and continues the policy of de-legitimizing the PA as a legitimate partner.