RAMALLAH, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian National Council Chairman Rawhi Fattouh said on Sunday that Israeli government's plan to establish a "humanitarian city" in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, is the first step of "forced displacement."
The proposal "has no connection to humanitarian values and aims to confine hundreds of thousands of civilians in inhumane conditions," Fattouh said, accusing it as "a complex crime with the support and complicity of the United States."
Fattouh called on the international community, especially the United Nations, to assume its responsibilities and take action to halt the plan and save what remains of Palestinian life in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that he has instructed the Israel Defense Forces and his ministry to bring forward a plan to establish a new "humanitarian city" on the ruins of Rafah, Israeli media reported.
According to Katz, an initial 600,000 Palestinians living in the coastal al-Mawasi area would be transferred to Rafah within 60 days of any agreed ceasefire deal. While the entire civilian population of Gaza -- more than 2 million people -- will eventually be relocated to this southern city. ■
