(TBA News) – by Dr. Fatima Ibrahim Al Menoufy. The US president’s call for mass displacement and ethnic cleansing in Gaza echoes the so-called moderate Israeli left wing government’s plan after the June 1967 war. In 1967, the Israeli prime minister, Levi Ashkol openly spoke of emptying the Gaza strip, not even controlling it but removing it, saying : “We should deal with this issue quietly, calmly and covertly, and we should work on finding a way for [the Palestinians] to emigrate to other countries and not just over the Jordan [River]. Perhaps if we don’t give them enough water they won’t have a choice, because the orchards will yellow and wither. Perhaps we can expect another war and then this problem will be solved.” Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, 1967

Trump’s plan for Gaza is not something new, it echoes the plans of today’s Israeli extremist right wing government, as well as that of the so-called moderate Israeli left wing government after the June war,1967. Israel with its successive left and right wing governments, has been trying to terminate the existence of Palestinians in Gaza since it occupied it. In 1967 after Israel seized Gaza, they tried to make Gaza disappear, but their plans failed.

“Empty” the Gaza Strip, “thin out” the Galilee, rewrite textbooks and censor political cartoons in Haaretz” These are among the proposals discussed by Israeli cabinet ministers after the Six-Day War.” They were perplexed, confused and sometimes helpless in the face of the new challenges to the state”, Haaretz, Nov 17, 2017. Within a week , they seized East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula. They didn’t expect all these sudden changes, and weren’t prepared for such scenario. Also at that time, the defense minister, Moshe Dayan suggested that only a quarter of the Gaza population should remain, while the rest should be displaced under arrangements.

The forced displacement of Palestinians is not just the delusion of Israel’s far right extremists; such as Smotrich and Ben Gvir’s vision of mass expulsion of Palestinians, but is now a US policy.

Late Egyptian president Sadat threatened America saying: “All your interests are with us, not in Israel”.

What is happening today reminds us of the words of the late Egyptian President Sadat about America’s support for Israel: “The United States is establishing a sea and air bridge from which new tanks, new planes, new cannons, new missiles and new electronics are pouring into Israel, and we tell them that this will not frighten us, but you must know, before things reach the point of no return, you must understand where and for how long, and where, while we are the map of the Middle East, not Israel, where and all your interests are with us and not in Israel? Where and for how long?” Sadat said.

Cutting off all oil supplies was the deterrent response to the US partnership in Israeli aggression against the Arabs. That wise decision was taken by King Faisal. Then the US threatened to bomb the Saudi oil fields. In response to the American threat, King Faisal proudly said: “You are the ones who can’t live without oil. Our ancestors lived on dates, we can easily go back and live like that again.

Will history repeat itself?