14 February 2025, 12 Shevat, 5785.
Contents:
1. African States Willing to Accept Gazans If They Migrate Voluntarily
At least 53% of Gaza residents would emigrate immediately if given the opportunity.
2. Egypt's Large Military Presence in Sinai Raises Questions and Concerns
3. Overwhelming Majority of Israelis in Favor of Arab Evacuation..
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1. African States Willing to Accept Gazans If They Migrate Voluntarily
At least 53% of Gaza residents would emigrate immediately if given the opportunity.
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/global/africa/african-states-willing-to-accept-gazans-if-they-migrate-voluntarily/2025/02/07/
By
David Israel
Extracts:
This week, Defense Minister Israel Katz directed the IDF to prepare for the voluntary emigration of Arab residents from the Gaza Strip, including making special arrangements for their departure by sea and air.
This coincided with President Trump doubling down on his proposal for the United States to occupy and rebuild Gaza. The White House insisted that no US boots on the ground would be needed to transform Gaza into 'one of the greatest and most spectacular developments of its kind on earth,' as Trump put it, envisioning the Gazans relocating to 'new and modern homes in the region.'
Despite fierce Arab and other international opposition, Trump's radically out-of-the-box thinking appears to have ignited interest in several potential host countries, three of them in Africa.
Yacob Mohamed Abdalla, Puntland's deputy minister of information, told The Telegraph on Thursday that the state would be willing to host Gazan refugees, as long as their relocation was voluntary.
'To start, I can tell you that Puntland is located in the corner of Africa, and Palestine is in the Middle East. There is no reason to deport someone from their country to another without their choice to move,' he said.
However, he expressed support for free movement. 'That is no problem,' Abdalla stated. 'We welcome it at that time, and it is for the sake of international law.'
Puntland, officially known as the Puntland State of Somalia, is an autonomous territory, established in 1998, that later became a federal member state. Situated in northeastern Somalia, its state capital is Garoowe, in the Nugal region.
As of 2016, Puntland had a population of approximately 4.3 million. Like the rest of Somalia, Islam is the main religion of the Puntland people.
The population density in Puntland is estimated at 20 people per square kilometer. In the Gaza Strip, the density is 5,967.5 people per square kilometer.
Puntland boasts 1,600 km (990 miles) of coastline, rich in fish and other marine resources. The region's economy is further supported by livestock, frankincense, myrrh, gum arabic (a key ingredient in traditional lithography used in printing, paints, glues, cosmetics, and various industrial applications), manufacturing, and agriculture. Agricultural products such as mangoes, bananas, guavas, lemons, sugarcane, and peanuts are cultivated on plantations throughout the state.
Puntland has the lowest poverty rate in Somalia, at 27%, compared to 50% in Somaliland and 57% in Mogadishu. Experts attribute this to higher consumption and greater labor force participation.
Households in Puntland consume more per capita and a greater variety of items. The lower poverty rate is not linked to household size, as the average size in Puntland is 5.2, compared to 5.7 in Somaliland and 4.5 in Mogadishu. Puntland also performs better in various well-being indicators. For example, the literacy rate in Puntland is 64%, above the national average of 55%. Households in Puntland also excel in education outcomes like enrollment and educational attainment. Additionally, 70% of households in Puntland have access to improved water sources, compared to the national average of 58%. These factors suggest that Puntland's stronger performance on non-monetary well-being indicators contributes to its lower poverty rate.
An in-depth survey conducted by the Washington Institute for Middle East Policy among residents of the Gaza Strip found that over 50% were interested in leaving the Strip and taking their family members with them.
The survey was conducted by the Center for Arab Affairs at the Institute and was carried out through in-depth research into public sentiment in the Gaza Strip, in conjunction with telephone surveys conducted directly with residents in the Gaza Strip.
At least 53% of Gaza residents would emigrate immediately if given the opportunity.
Furthermore, 49% of those surveyed even emphasized that if they had the financial means to smuggle themselves out of the Strip, they would do so and smuggle their families out as well.
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2. Egypt's Large Military Presence in Sinai Raises Questions and Concerns
By
Yaakov Lappin
https://www.jns.org/egypts-large-military-presence-in-sinai-continues-to-raise-questions/
Extracts:
JNS) The considerable Egyptian military presence in the Sinai Peninsula and ongoing infrastructure work has some observers in Israel alarmed.
Officially, the Israeli defense establishment says that coordination between the two militaries remains tight and contributes to regional stability. However, the concentration of forces in Sinai is not easily explained by previous justifications such as fighting ISIS, and raises the more troubling, seldom spoken, possibility that President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and his army view Israel as a potential future adversary.
Egyptian troop deployments in Sinai grew over recent years, ostensibly to fight jihadist insurgents, but some observers in Israel have raised the possibility that such a substantial presence could become a strategic liability under changed circumstances.
'They built in Sinai three airfields; at least one airfield is for fighter jets. They built huge reserves of gasoline and diesel,' he said. He added that Egypt also built large storage tunnels in Sinai for strategic storage of military gear, and transport links that could enable large formations to arrive in Sinai within a few hours.
Fuzaylov expressed concern that Israel's defense establishment is not aware of the threat, adding, 'We already understand what happens when we are so calm.'
According to Fuzaylov, 'Egypt has no reason to prepare such systems and insert these forces, unless it assumes that Israel is its primary threat scenario.'
Mariam Wahba, a research analyst at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JNS on Thursday, 'For months now, reports have circulated about a significant Egyptian military buildup in Sinai, particularly near Rafah [on the Gaza border]. This movement isn't necessarily abnormal. Egypt has previously deployed tanks and armored vehicles to combat ISIS, but these actions typically occur with Israeli consent and a notification to the United States, neither of which has reportedly happened this time.'
She added, 'srael's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon recently raised concerns about this, saying that Egypt 'trains for one purpose: war with Israel.' If the reports are correct, it raises serious questions about Egypt's intentions.'
On Jan. 31, Israeli envoy to the U.N. Danon voiced his own reservations.
'They spend hundreds of millions of dollars on modern military equipment every year, yet they have no threats on their borders,' he said, in reference to Egypt, questioning the rationale behind these massive acquisitions. 'Why do they need all these submarines and tanks?' he asked, before warning, 'After October 7, this should raise alarm bells.
'We have learned our lesson. We must monitor Egypt closely and prepare for every scenario,' Danon said.
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3. Overwhelming Majority of Israelis in Favor of Arab Evacuation.
SHAMRAK Report: Gazans are Ready to Migrate
Around 80% of Israelis agree with US President Donald Trump's plan to relocate Gazans to other countries. Only 13% of respondents believed that Trumps proposal was immoral. Among them, 54% were Arab respondents, while only 3% of Jewish Israelis shared this view, mainly Labor voters.