The Israeli Ministry of Intelligence is recommending the forcible and permanent transfer of the Gaza Strip's 2.2 million Palestinian residents to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, according to an official document revealed in full [8] by progressive Israeli website Local Call Oct. 29. The 10-page document, dated Oct. 13, bears the logo of the Intelligence Ministry, and has been acknowledged by the ministry as authentic. It assesses three options regarding the future of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in the context of the current war, and recommends a full population transfer as its preferred course of action. It also calls on Israel to enlist the international community in support of this endeavor. The document has been translated into English [9] by Local Call's partner website +972.
The document recommends that Israel act to "evacuate the civilian population to Sinai" during the course of the conflict; establish tent cities and later more permanent settlements in the northern Sinai that will absorb the expelled population; and then create "a sterile zone of several kilometers…within Egypt, and [prevent] the return of the population to activities/residences near the border with Israel."
The existence of the document does not necessarily indicate that its recommendations are being considered by Israel's defense establishment. Despite its name, the Intelligence Ministry [12] is not directly responsible for any body of the intelligence and security apparatus, but rather independently prepares studies and policy papers that are distributed to security agencies for review, but are not considered binding. (+972 Magazine [13])
