Why is Israel accused of ethnic cleansing?

 Israel has been accused of ethnic cleansing due to its policies and actions towards Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Critics argue that Israel is systematically working to remove Palestinians from these areas to create a homogeneous society

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. Some of the actions that have led to these accusations include:

1. Expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Palestinians argue is diminishing their prospects of establishing a viable state on contiguous territory
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2. Demolishing Palestinian homes and denying building permits
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3. Implementing policies that have been characterized as apartheid, colonialism, and ethnic cleansing by some UN human rights investigators
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4. Displacing Palestinians during the establishment of Israel in 1948 and subsequent conflicts
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However, it is important to note that the term "ethnic cleansing" is not precisely defined under international law, and some argue that Israel's actions do not fall into the same category as other instances of ethnic cleansing in history

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. Additionally, Israel cites security concerns as the basis for its treatment of Palestinians

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. Critics argue that these security justifications are sometimes misused to justify harsh policies

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Citations:

[1] https://www.adl.org/resources/glossary-term/allegation-israel-committing-ethnic-cleansing

[2] https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict

[3] UN rights-investigator-accuses-israel-of-ethnic-cleansing-idUKBREA2K1JM20140321

[4] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/02/israels-apartheid-against-palestinians-a-cruel-system-of-domination-and-a-crime-against-humanity/

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Israeli%E2%80%93Palestinian_conflict

[6] https://press.un.org/en/2021/gapal1439.doc.htm

[7] https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution

[8] https://www.un.org/unispal/history/

[9] https://www.ajc.org/responding-to-false-claims-about-israel

[10] https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/israels-ethnic-cleansing-of-palestinians-in-the-west-bank/

[11] https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/arab-israeli-war

[12] https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/03/special-rapporteur-situation-human-rights-occupied-palestinian-territories

[13] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinian-israel-un/u-n-rights-investigator-accuses-israel-of-ethnic-cleansing-idUSBREA2K1JC20140321

[14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli%E2%80%93Palestinian_conflict

[15] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/world/middleeast/benjamin-netanyahu-ethnic-cleansing.html

[16] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-7-2011-003188_EN.html

[17] https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-44124396

[18] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2022/02/israels-system-of-apartheid/

[19] https://jcpa.org/article/the-falsehood-of-ethnic-cleansing-by-israel/

[20] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/05/13/israel-palestinians-timeline-conflict/

[21] https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/336928/words-have-meaning-ethnic-cleansing-accusation-against-israel-is-a-big-lie/