Blair Gaza plan is to 'complete Balfour Declaration', presidency warns
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The Palestinian presidency expresses strong rejection of the Israeli plot to forcibly displace Palestinians in a plan to be executed by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
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Displaced Palestinians stand amid the rubble of a residential neighborhood in Gaza destroyed in a series of Israeli strikes in November 2023 (AFP)
The Palestinian Presidency warned of attempts to "complete the Balfour Declaration" after reports that the Israeli occupation entity delegated former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to convince Arab countries to receive forcibly displaced Palestinians from Gaza.
This follows Blair's recent visit to occupied Palestine last week, during which he reportedly engaged in undisclosed meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz.
The discussions centered around the possibility of appointing the former UK Prime Minister as a "mediator" between "Tel Aviv" and some Arab governments to persuade them to "take in Gazan refugees" in post-war planning developed by the occupying entity.
Read more: UNRWA accuses "Israel" of preparing Gaza residents expulsion to Egypt
In a statement, the Presidency expressed strong rejection of this measure, announcing that Blair is considered to be "an unwelcome person in the Palestinian territories.”
“We will demand that the British government not allow this meddling with the fate and future of the Palestinian people, and we will also demand that the Secretary-General of the United Nations do what is possible in order not to allow such actions that violate international law and international legitimacy, which is considered an interference and an endeavor that only serves Israel’s interests and harms the Palestinian people and their rights by pushing them to abandon their land,” the statement read.
“It seems that Tony Blair is completing the Balfour Declaration issued by the British government with American involvement, which led to the catastrophe of the Palestinian people and started dozens of wars in the region,” it added.
Read more: 83% of Israelis support ethnic cleansing of Gazans: Survey
Intensify genocide of Palestinians
On its part, the Palestinian Foreign Ministery called on Blair not to take part in "Israel’s" plot.
The Ministry said in a statement that it “is following with great interest what was reported by the Hebrew media regarding Tony Blair heading a team to work for the voluntary evacuation of Palestinian citizens from the Gaza Strip, and holding meetings and consultations with some countries to explore their position regarding receiving Palestinian refugees, which was greatly welcomed by the fascist Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and other extremists.”
Read more: 'Israel' killed 22,000 Palestinians, including at least 9,000 children
It added that it “hopes that Tony Blair will not be involved in committing this crime, which falls within the framework of the Israeli government's plans to intensify genocide and forced displacement of the Palestinians.”
The statement emphasized that should these reports prove accurate, it views this action as "hostile to the Palestinian people and their rights in their homeland, a flagrant violation of international law, and hostile to humanity." It cautioned that those responsible for this action will be subject to accountability.
Consequently, the Foreign Ministry declared its intent to discuss this significant matter with Arab, Islamic, and friendly nations, seeking to address it through various means, including legal avenues.
Selling illusions
Since day one of the war on the Strip, the occupation entity's top officials publicly declared that one of the objectives was to forcefully displace its residents to other countries, most notably Jordan and Egypt.
This plan saw the Israeli army carry out the bloodiest aggression since WW2 on the besieged Strip, which included the killing of nearly 22,000 Palestinians, most of whom were children and women, and the mass destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, and other vital infrastructure necessary for survival.
Netanyahu claimed last week that the occupation is in contact with countries to persuade them to agree to take in Palestinian "refugees from Gaza," Israeli media reported, citing the premier as telling members of his Likud Party.
At the time, Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas commented on the Israeli Prime Minister's remarks, saying his plan to pass a "voluntary immigration" scheme for the people from the Gaza Strip is ridiculous and aims to compensate for the Israeli war failure.
"Netanyahu is trying to sell illusions to prolong the aggression after he and his army failed to achieve their goals," the party said.
"Our Palestinian people affirmed their decisive stance by rejecting deportation and displacement, and that there is no emigration and no choice but to remain steadfast on our land."
Nevertheless, every effort to execute this plan encountered the resilience of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands among them steadfastly declined to vacate the northern Strip, opting instead to stay in their homes, even in the face of the catastrophic conditions imposed by the entity and the daily ongoing massacres.
Furthermore, the plot to forcefully displace Palestinians was criticized by "Israel's" main allies, including the United States, and countries that are supposed to "host the refugees" such as Jordan and Egypt.
