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Titolo: Israeli official proposes 'ethnic cleansing'

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Israeli official proposes 'ethnic cleansing'
Al-Jazeera ^ | 1/4/2004 | Khalid Amayreh
Posted on 01/06/2004 1:11:53 PM PST by eclectic
A member of the Likud party has proposed “massive ethnic cleansing” of
non-Jews in Palestine-Israel as a “final solution” of the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Uzi Cohen, a member of Ariel Sharon’s right-wing party and a deputy mayor of
the town of Raanana, told Israeli public radio on Sunday there was
widespread support in Israel for “the idea of ethnic cleansing”.
“Many people support the idea but few are willing to speak about it
publicly.”
Cohen, an influential figure in Likud, proposed that Israel, the United
States, the European Union as well as oil-rich Arab states make concerted
efforts to create a Palestinian state in northern Jordan.
He suggested the Hashimi royal family in Amman “might view favorably this
idea”.
Cohen said Palestinians should be given 20 years to “leave voluntarily”.
“In case they don’t leave, plans would have to be drawn up to expel them by
force.”
'Israel's ugly face'
Cohen’s racist ideas have drawn strong reactions from Palestinian leaders in
Israel. Israeli Arab Knesset member Ahmad Taibi described Cohen as
representing “Israel’s ugly face”.
MPs of Ariel Sharon's Likud party discussed expelling Arabs before
“This man espouses Jewish fascism and he is trying to foster his venomous
ideas, and I must say he is achieving remarkable success,” Taibi told
Aljazeera.net.
“The idea of ethnic cleansing is no longer confined to the far-right parties
in Israel; many in the Likud support ethnic cleansing.”
Taibi said tabling a racist proposal for discussion is in itself a grave
development.
“It is not important what the result will be. The important thing is that
they are going to dignify a fascist proposal like this by discussing it in a
formal meeting.”
Demographic threat
Israeli leaders have lately been warning of an “encroaching Palestinian
demographic threat”.
On Friday, a leading Jewish demographer warned Jews were on the verge of
becoming a minority in mandatory Palestine, the historic region administered
by Britain until late 1947 from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has so far been circumspect about the
idea of banishing the Palestinians from their ancestral land.
Last year, when members of his Likud party approached him with the idea,
Sharon reportedly told them “the international situation wouldn’t be
conducive to expelling the Palestinians”.
In 1948, the newly-born Jewish state expelled the bulk of the Palestinian
population from what is now Israel and destroyed more than 460 Arab towns
and villages.
Israel has consistently refused to allow the repatriation of the refugees,
arguing that allowing some or all of them back to their homes, many of which
no longer exist, would undermine the “Jewish identity” of Israel.

http://www.independent-media.tv/item.cfm?fmedia_id=4959&fcategory_desc=Israeli%20-%20Palestinian%20/%20Middle%20East%20Conflict
Israeli official proposes 'ethnic cleansing'
By: Khalid Amayreh
Al Jazeera         Date: 01/04/2004
A member of the Likud party has proposed “massive ethnic cleansing” of
non-Jews in Palestine-Israel as a “final solution” of the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Uzi Cohen, a member of Ariel Sharon’s right-wing party and a deputy mayor of
the town of Raanana, told Israeli public radio on Sunday there was
widespread support in Israel for “the idea of ethnic cleansing”.
“Many people support the idea but few are willing to speak about it
publicly.”
Cohen, an influential figure in Likud, proposed that Israel, the United
States, the European Union as well as oil-rich Arab states make concerted
efforts to create a Palestinian state in northern Jordan.
He suggested the Hashimi royal family in Amman “might view favorably this
idea”.
Cohen said Palestinians should be given 20 years to “leave voluntarily”.
“In case they don’t leave, plans would have to be drawn up to expel them by
force.”
'Israel's ugly face'
Cohen’s racist ideas have drawn strong reactions from Palestinian leaders in
Israel. Israeli Arab Knesset member Ahmad Taibi described Cohen as
representing “Israel’s ugly face”.
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