Israel laid out its harrowing plan to take Palestinian territories in 2017. Now it is happening | Ofer Cassif

Israel’s announcement of a new offensive to “conquer” Gaza, on with claims by Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli curate of finance, that the portion volition beryllium “entirely destroyed”, person flustered the planetary community. Observers whitethorn beryllium distressed, disturbed oregon upset by these plans. But they should travel arsenic nary surprise. This benignant of genocidal ideology has been evident, successful Smotrich’s case, since agelong earlier 7 October. And absorption voices – including excavation – person been informing of the government’s intentions successful Gaza since October 2023.

These latest actions by the fanatic nationalists successful Israel’s authorities are causing misery to Palestinians, but besides to Israelis. The determination of the Israeli furniture to grow its penetration has terrified the families of Israeli hostages. They person accused Smotrich of promoting his messianic imaginativeness connected the graves of their loved ones, and Benjamin Netanyahu of hiding accusation and lying to them astir the fig of surviving hostages. Einav Zangauker, the parent of Matan, who was kidnapped from his location successful Kibbutz Nir Oz connected 7 October, went to the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) this week with a chilling warning: the enlargement of subject efforts successful Gaza volition pb to the decease of hostages, she said. When she called connected service reservists to refuse drafting orders, she was silenced and removed from the platform.

In October 2023, successful my archetypal interrogation aft the massacre of 7 October, I warned that the Israeli authorities would utilise the brutal slaughter successful bid to pursue its plans to annex Palestinian territories. The program I referred to was 1 formulated by Smotrich successful 2017, titled the Subjugation Plan (sometimes translated arsenic the Decisive Plan). In it, helium laid retired a blueprint to eradicate the imaginable of a Palestinian state. In a harrowing papers that discusses radical arsenic if they were pawns connected a chessboard, Smotrich reshaped the borders of Israel. First, helium demanded annexation of Palestinian territory without granting basal political, civilian oregon nationalist rights to Palestinians, treating them alternatively arsenic assemblage subjects. Second, those Palestinians who would not judge their batch arsenic second-class subjects would beryllium physically expelled from their homes, lands and their homeland altogether. And third: those who resist, who conflict for their cardinal rights arsenic quality beings, would beryllium hunted and killed.

While astatine the clip of its work this program was directed mostly towards the occupied West Bank, it is wide however contiguous the fog of warfare volition let for its implementation successful Gaza. I was not a prophet sent to forewarn and foretell the cynical ploy of Netanyahu and his pack of settlers – I lone needed to perceive to what they were saying. I was subsequently suspended from my presumption successful the Knesset, and I americium present serving a 2nd suspension for endorsing South Africa’s request to the planetary tribunal of justness to bring accountability and justness successful the look of the unit I warned of.

How tin 1 beryllium amazed by the comments of Smotrich if the actions of the Israeli furniture for the past 18 months person followed his subjugation plan? Palestinians successful Gaza and the occupied West Bank person been bombed, starved, slaughtered and expelled successful bid to marque country for Smotrich’s imaginativeness of caller settlements. While the radical of the satellite observed the warfare with panic and fear, Smotrich’s settlers boasted that they were surviving successful a “miraculous time”.

In the ongoing disputation arsenic to what grade the actions of Israel represent the transgression of genocide, this program should service arsenic the premier grounds for the prosecution. “Subjugation” for Smotrich and his pack translates to taste cleansing, forceful transfer, amerciable annexation and killings that interruption planetary law. In essence, this program aims for the implicit demolition and dissolution of the Palestinians arsenic a nationalist community, arsenic a shared people, successful their ain homeland – isn’t this the explanation of genocide?

“Any effort to annex onshore successful Gaza would beryllium unacceptable” said the UK’s Middle East minister, Hamish Falconer, this week. His words, which came with nary sanctions oregon consequences attached, dispersed into bladed air. It seems genuinely farcical that astir 20 months into this calamity determination are inactive those who judge the Israeli authorities could beryllium persuaded to alteration people by words alone, oregon that the Israeli furniture holds immoderate grade of attraction for regularisation of instrumentality and planetary norms. But if I archetypal felt immoderate grade of pity towards the UK authorities and its ineffectual diplomacy, it rapidly turned into a burning choler erstwhile I remembered the caller sojourn of the Israeli overseas minister, Gideon Sa’ar, to the UK. Only weeks agone helium received extortion from the aforesaid authorities that present accuses his furniture of unacceptable and unlawful behaviour of war.

For the involvement of the Palestinians, the hostages and the radical of Israel, the Israeli authorities indispensable beryllium held to account. This cannot beryllium accomplished done words alone.