The ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the occupation in Palestine was not a spontaneous process but rather a fundamental part of the Zionist project that aimed to forcibly displace Palestinians and replace them with Jewish settlers. Since the early days of Zionist settlement, the Zionist movement has relied on various tools and methods to achieve its goals, ranging from direct violence, through racist legislation and laws, to attempts to erase Palestinian identity and distort history.
These tools can be classified into:
First: Massacres and Organized Terrorism:
The Zionist movement has employed armed violence as a primary tool to instill fear in the hearts of Palestinians and force them to leave their lands. Zionist gangs such as "Haganah," "Irgun," and "Lehi" committed horrific massacres aimed at emptying Palestinian areas of their original inhabitants. Among the most notable of these massacres are:
- The Deir Yassin Massacre (1948): Carried out by "Irgun" and "Lehi," resulting in the martyrdom of over 250 Palestinians, including women and children, leading to widespread panic that drove many Palestinians to flee.
- The Tantura Massacre (1948): Conducted by the Zionist "Alexandroni" forces, where about 200 Palestinians were cold-bloodedly murdered.
- The Kafr Qasim Massacre (1956): Targets the unarmed residents of the village, resulting in the martyrdom of 49 Palestinians despite an unexpected curfew being imposed without notice.
These massacres had a strategic impact in emptying Palestinian villages and cities of their inhabitants, enabling the Zionist entity to control them and replace the Palestinians with settlers.
Second: Mass Expulsion and Displacement Campaigns:
The displacement operations were not limited to direct violence alone; the occupation followed systematic policies to uproot Palestinians from their lands, such as:
- The "Dalt" Plan (1948): Developed by "Haganah" to implement forced expulsions of Palestinians from their cities and villages through direct attacks and sabotage.
- Forced displacement during the Nakba of 1948: More than 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes, and the occupation seized 78% of Palestine’s land.
- The displacement of the residents of Lod and Ramla: Zionist forces expelled over 70,000 Palestinians from the two cities under the threat of weapons during the Nakba of 1948.
Third: Racist Laws and Property Seizure:
After the establishment of the occupying state, the Zionist entity resorted to legitimizing ethnic cleansing through oppressive laws targeting Palestinians, the most prominent of which include:
- The "Absentee Property Law" (1950): Allowed for the confiscation of the property of Palestinian refugees who were forced to leave their homes.
- The "Law of Return" (1950): Granted Jews from anywhere in the world the right to obtain Zionist citizenship immediately upon arrival, while displaced Palestinians were prohibited from returning.
- "The Citizenship Law" (1952): It was used to prevent Palestinian refugees from reclaiming their rights in historical Palestine.
Fourth: Destruction of Villages and Demographic Change:
The Zionist entity sought to physically erase the Palestinian presence by demolishing Palestinian villages and cities and establishing Jewish settlements in their place. Among the prominent policies are:
- Destruction of over 500 Palestinian villages: After the Nakba of 1948, the occupation completely destroyed hundreds of Palestinian villages, such as the villages of Tantoura and Sheikh Muwannis.
- Judaization of Palestinian cities: After the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967, the occupation implemented massive projects to Judaize it, such as building settlement neighborhoods in East Jerusalem and emptying the Old City of Palestinians.
- Demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and Jerusalem: Under flimsy legal pretexts, such as unauthorized construction, hundreds of Palestinian homes are demolished annually.
Fifth: Siege and Economic Hardship:
Since the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967, the Zionist entity has imposed a suffocating economic blockade to force Palestinians into forced migration. Among the prominent policies of the blockade:
- Control of water and agricultural land: The occupation prevents Palestinians from accessing water sources and demolishes agricultural land in the West Bank and Gaza.
- Closure of crossings in Gaza: Since 2007, the occupation has enforced a tightened blockade on the Gaza Strip, leading to the collapse of the local economy and increased unemployment.
- The separation wall: Its construction has isolated thousands of Palestinians from their lands, compelling them to leave.
Sixth: Assassinations and Political Arrests:
The Zionist occupation has followed a policy of targeting Palestinian leaders and resistance fighters to break the will of the Palestinian people through:
- Systematic assassinations: Such as the assassinations of Palestinian leaders like Ahmed Yassin, Yahya Ayyash, Abu Ali Mustafa, and Suleiman Abu Ghaith.
- Mass arrests: The number of prisoners in the occupation's jails has exceeded 10,000, including women and children, according to Palestinian human rights organizations.
- Torture inside prisons: Palestinian detainees are subjected to physical and psychological torture to force them into confessions or to break their morale.
Seventh: Distortion of History and Erasure of Identity:
In addition to military and legal tools, the Zionist entity has sought to erase the Palestinian narrative and Judaize history through:
- Changing the names of villages and cities: The names of Palestinian villages have been changed to Hebrew names, such as renaming Jaffa to "Tel Aviv."
- Distorting educational curricula: The occupation imposes distorted curricula in occupied Jerusalem aimed at erasing Palestinian identity.
- Theft of cultural heritage: Palestinian clothing, traditional foods, and folklore have been appropriated and marketed as part of "Israeli" culture.
