Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has issued a scathing rebuke of his country’s proposed “humanitarian city” for Palestinians in southern Gaza, warning that the plan amounts to ethnic cleansing and would effectively serve as a concentration camp.
Speaking to The Guardian, Olmert said the initiative—championed by Defense Minister Israel Katz and backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—marks a dangerous escalation in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
“It is a concentration camp. I’m sorry,” Olmert said, responding to Katz’s proposal to build a massive enclosed encampment on the ruins of Rafah. “If [Palestinians] are deported into the new ‘humanitarian city,’ then you can say this is part of an ethnic cleansing.”
Katz has ordered the military to begin preparing plans for the site, which would initially hold 600,000 Palestinians and eventually the entire population of Gaza. The residents would not be permitted to leave, except to emigrate to other countries.
While Olmert acknowledged that Israel’s past evacuations of civilians could be interpreted as legal under international law, he drew a stark distinction with the proposed “humanitarian city,” calling it an unmistakable effort to displace the population.
“When they build a camp designed to ‘clean’ more than half of Gaza, the inevitable conclusion is that the objective is not to save people—it’s to push them out and erase them,” Olmert said.
War Crimes and Settler Violence
Olmert, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2009, accused Israel of already committing war crimes in both Gaza and the West Bank. He described ongoing settler violence as “unforgivable” and “orchestrated in a brutal, criminal manner,” criticizing Israeli authorities for enabling what he called “hilltop atrocities.”
“There is no way they can act with such impunity without official support,” he said, rejecting the idea that the perpetrators are fringe actors. “They are protected by the state.”
Olmert also took aim at far-right members of Netanyahu’s cabinet, calling them “the enemy from within.” He warned that their push for settlement expansion and refusal to acknowledge Palestinian rights posed a greater danger to Israel’s future than any external threat.
Breaking the Silence
The former prime minister said he could no longer remain silent in the face of what he described as his country’s moral collapse. Though he supported initial military action against Hamas after the October 7 attacks, Olmert said the current war effort has since devolved into systemic violations of international law.
He emphasized that while there may not be explicit orders to commit war crimes, the military’s “negligence and tolerance of disproportionate death” still make the government culpable.
“That is why I cannot refrain from accusing this government of being responsible for war crimes committed,” Olmert said.
International Backlash and Isolation
Olmert also addressed the surge of international criticism against Israel, particularly in the United States, saying it cannot all be dismissed as antisemitism.
“There are people around the world, watching what’s happening, who are rightly horrified. When they say, ‘You’ve crossed every possible line,’ that’s not antisemitism—it’s outrage,” he said.
He warned that only intensified global pressure might push Israeli society to reckon with the current course of action, criticizing the domestic media for underreporting Palestinian suffering.
A Glimmer of Hope?
Despite the devastation, Olmert still believes a two-state solution is achievable. He’s working alongside former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser al-Kidwa to promote such a vision internationally.
Olmert said a path to peace might still be possible—particularly if Netanyahu were willing to trade a Gaza ceasefire for normalized ties with Saudi Arabia. But instead, he watched in disbelief as Netanyahu, under investigation for war crimes, nominated former U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
“That moment said everything,” Olmert said.
