Israel Wants to Forcibly Move Palestinians to South Sudan
Another Nakba, This Time Ending in South Sudan
Israel is reportedly in talks with South Sudan to take in Palestinians from Gaza, a move that human rights experts say would violate international law and amount to ethnic cleansing. The discussions, according to multiple reports, are at an early stage but have already sparked outrage from Palestinians, regional governments, and humanitarian organizations.
The plan would see Palestinians removed from one war zone and placed into another. South Sudan has endured years of civil conflict, is facing widespread famine, and lacks the infrastructure to accommodate large-scale resettlement. Critics say the proposal would knowingly place civilians in conditions of extreme risk and deprivation.
The reaction from the region has been swift. Palestinian groups have condemned the plan as another phase of the ongoing Nakba, the mass displacement that began in 1948. Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, has voiced concerns about destabilization and refugee spillover. South Sudanese civil society groups are also speaking out, warning their government against becoming complicit in a plan that would turn their country into a dumping ground for victims of war.
This is not the first time Israel has floated the idea of expelling Palestinians to third countries. Earlier reports indicated discussions with Sudan, Somalia, and Somaliland. None of those proposals have come to fruition, but the persistence of the idea reflects a long-standing Israeli policy goal of reducing the Palestinian population in Gaza.
For now, both Israel’s Foreign Ministry and South Sudan’s government are refusing to comment on the talks. Human rights advocates say silence from the international community will only encourage further violations and push the plan closer to reality.