Israel’s Gaza endgame was always ethnic cleansing

JVL Introduction

When all is said and done, the bottom line this: Israel’s Gaza endgame was always ethnic cleansing.

Muhammad Shehada, writing just after the 3rd anniversary of October 7th spells it out, citing for example Israel’s Minister of Settlements Orit Strook in March 2023: “I don’t know how many years it will take…returning to Gaza will take a lot of sacrifices. Gaza is part of the land of Israel, and we will return to it one day.”

So too Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the then defence minister, in April 2023. And Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich  in December 2022.

All took it for granted that Israel would “return” to rebuild Jewish settlements in Gaza.

The hatred and genocidal intent are not new.

Here is Moshe Dayan shortly after the 1967 war: “You shall continue to live like dogs, and whoever wishes may leave… It’s possible that in five years, there will be 200,000 fewer people, and that’s an enormous thing.”

No-one – least of all those in the Labour government – can say they do now know and did not know.

Israel’s genocidal intent is not hiding in plain sight. It is in plain sight except for those who shut their eyes to the self-evident reality.

This article was originally published by The New Arab on Thu 8 Oct 2026. Read the original here.