The settlement of Palestinians in the Anbar desert, western Iraq, has
become a topic of renewed discussion among Iraqis, thanks to the >US-championed "Deal of the Century."
As far back as February 2020, Iraqi MP al-Baldawi, the representative
of the al-Fatah coalition in Iraq's parliament, was alleging:
"The US is plotting to keep out Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization
Units, or PMU) from the western provinces of Iraq, specially al-Anbar >province, in a move to provide a proper ground for sheltering the >Palestinians inside Iraq."
But now, the renewed interest in the topic coincides with the recent, >unpublicized visit of the British ambassador to Iraq to Anbar
Governorate.
Since the unveiling of the Trump era peace plan in 2019, reports have >surfaced suggesting that the continued US presence in western Iraq has >broader intentions beyond establishing military bases.
It is speculated that the goal is to create an "alternative homeland"
for Palestinian refugees in the Anbar desert. This notion might have
remained confined to the realm of "conspiracy theories" if it weren't
for suggestions made by Israeli leaders following the 7 October
Al-Aqsa Flood resistance operation, and their unprecedented genocidal >aggression against the Gaza Strip.
Engineering another nakba
Israeli media leaked a document issued by the Israeli Ministry of >Intelligence, proposing the displacement of 2.4 million Palestinians
from Gaza to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt and other regions, a
proposal strongly rejected by both Cairo and Amman.
The leaked plan has renewed serious Iraqi interest in the potential
project to displace Palestinians to Anbar. Concerns of another Nakba
have been echoed in statements from Iraqi political and religious
leaders, including leading figures like Muqtada al-Sadr and Qais
al-Khazali, as well as representatives of the Iraqi parliament -
particularly those hailing from Anbar Governorate.
The leader of the National Resolution Alliance, Jamal al-Karbouli,
condemned “the suspicious projects that attempt to displace the
Palestinians out of Palestine,” and warned “everyone who dares to go
too far with the people of Anbar and donate its land to please his
masters..
Karbouli's statements prompted Parliament Speaker Muhammad
al-Halbousi, the representative of Anbar in the council, to
emphatically reject any attempt to implement the Deal of the Century
in Iraq.
But observers like political analyst Mohsen al-Amiri believe that
Karbouli's claims forced Halbousi into issuing a denial: “It seems as
if Anbar's representative in parliament Al-Halbousi, who has close
relations with foreign countries, especially the United Arab Emirates
(the UAE has led the Arab normalization process with Israel), was
trying to distance himself from these accusations.”
Hidden agendas in Anbar
The discussion surrounding the Israeli plan to displace the population
of the Gaza Strip coincided with the unannounced visit of British
Ambassador to Iraq Stephen Charles Hitchen to Anbar Governorate.
Hitchen headed up the UK Foreign Office's Iran Political Team at the
start of the Arab uprisings, and moved up the ranks quickly to direct >national security efforts in the entire region.
It's worth noting that Hitchen's meetings were limited to two Taqadum
Party officials, whom he met separately, namely the Governor of Anbar
Ali Farhan al-Dulaimi, and Ramadi Mayor Omar Dabbous. These
individuals hold significant authority over administrative units and
lands in the Anbar Governorate.
A source within the local administration informs The Cradle that the
British ambassador discussed the construction of low-cost housing
complexes to be financed by Britain in the desert areas to the west of
the governorate. He also mentioned water desalination projects,
although the exact nature and purpose of these initiatives remain >undisclosed.
The source tells The Cradle that there were strict instructions to
keep the visit of the British ambassador confidential and not to
publish any news about it on the governorate's website.
An Anbar-based journalist explains that there are often media
blackouts imposed on visits by US and British ambassadors to the
governorate, saying “we only learn about these visits days or weeks
later by coincidence."
Despite attempts to confirm this information from local administration >officials, some refused to comment, and others claimed they had no
knowledge of the visit. However, a photograph was obtained showing the >British ambassador meeting with the mayor of Ramadi inside the
municipal building.
An Iraqi political source tells The Cradle about the increasing
frequency of American and British visits, both public and secret, to
the governorate, fearing that Anbar might be manipulated to serve >Washington’s agendas.
But political analyst Dr. Muhammad al-Anbari expresses surprise at the
visit of a representative of a major power to a local mayor whose >responsibilities are typically limited to urban management and
sanitation. He tells The Cradle: “These suspicious visits did not
occur until after one party took control of Anbar Governorate and its >government departments."
‘Autonomous Anbar’
In December 2022, Speaker Halbousi hinted at the possibility of the
Sunni blocs leaving the political process and suggested the formation
of an independent region in Anbar. Halbousi wields significant
political influence in the governorate, which is not only Iraq's
largest in terms of geographical area, but also spans a desert region
that extends from the Syrian border through the Jordanian border to
the Saudi border, representing the western part of the country.
A political source in the governorate, who requested to remain
anonymous, confirms that Halbousi is holding extensive meetings with
Arab tribal sheikhs in the governorate to create the so-called
autonomous Anbar.
Some Iraqi political sources view these actions as supporting
Washington's Deal of the Century project, aimed at resettling
Palestinians - with the UAE and Britain identified as major
supporters. They noted extensive meetings between Halbousi and Emirati >representatives in Abu Dhabi and Baghdad in recent months.
Trump's Deal of the Century also broke with decades of US policy by >recognizing Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, a move
guaranteed to upset Arabs and Muslims everywhere.
This plan includes the displacement of Palestinians, particularly
those from Gaza, and the creation of a small state for them in an Arab >country's desert, as reported in various press articles, including one
from the Ultra Iraq website in May 2019, titled "Anbar is part of the
deal of the century."
The west’s ambition to reshape West Asia
Secretary-General of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq movement Qais al-Khazali
warned, in a statement, that “Israel aims to occupy Iraq to implement
the biblical prophecy (from the Euphrates to the Nile is your country,
O Children of Israel),” calling on his supporters to prepare for “a
major upcoming battle if the country and its sanctities are exposed to
any new danger."
Speaking to The Cradle, London-based Iraqi researcher Adnan Abu Zaid
says that there is a US and European-backed plan to displace the
people of Gaza and resettle them in Iraq. But he believes that “no one
will be able to implement this plan, at least at the current stage."
While the plan to relocate Palestinians to Anbar may not be
immediately attainable, it remains a part of a broader US effort to
reshape the West Asian region, potentially leading to the creation of
small sectarian mini-states that may lack political or economic
independence from the influence of the US and its ally, Israel.
For those skeptical of a plan to displace more than two million people
from one country to another, it is worth taking into account the
ongoing displacement trends in the wider West Asian region - much of
it caused by western wars - which has seen millions uprooted from >Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen since the US occupation of >Afghanistan.
https://new.thecradle.co/articles/iraqis-warn-of-western-plan-to-move-gazans-to-anbar-desert
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