The move, termed “deferred enforced departure,” applies to approximately 6,000 Palestinians, aiming to offer them a “temporary safe haven…reports Asian Lite News
President Joe Biden has signed an order providing temporary protection for Palestinians in the U.S. from deportation for 18 months, citing worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
The move, termed “deferred enforced departure,” applies to approximately 6,000 Palestinians, aiming to offer them a “temporary safe haven,” according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
“President Biden is granting deferred enforced departure for 18 months to Palestinians that are currently in the United States,” the statement reads.
“This grant of deferred enforced departure would provide protections for most Palestinians in the United States, with certain exceptions. Those convicted of felonies or who are otherwise deemed to pose a public safety threat are not eligible for deferred enforced departure. Anyone who voluntarily returns to the Palestinian territories would lose any such protections,” the statement added.
However, those voluntarily returning to Palestinian territories would forfeit this protection. The decision follows the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas and subsequent military actions by Israel, resulting in a significant deterioration of conditions in Gaza.
Biden faces pressure to extend aid and protection to Palestinians in Gaza after months of conflict. Arab-American and Muslim leaders have criticized him for not advocating for a permanent ceasefire.
Abed Ayoub, from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, welcomed the move, citing the ongoing dire situation in Gaza, according to Reuters report.
According to Gaza health officials, over 28,500 Palestinians have died in Israeli attacks since October 7, with Hamas militants responsible for killing 1,200 and taking around 250 hostages during an incident in southern Israel.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called on Israel’s allies, especially the United States, to cease supplying it with weapons as “too many people” are being killed in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.
Citing US President Joe Biden’s statement from last week regarding Israel’s military action being “over the top,” Borrell on Monday said: “Well, if you believe that too many people are being killed, maybe you could provide less arms in order to prevent so many people from having been killed.”
“Is [it] not logical?” he questioned in a Brussels news conference alongside Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), who Israel is pressuring to resign, as per Al Jazeera
“How many times have you heard the most prominent leaders and foreign ministers around the world say too many people are being killed?” Borrell asked.
According to Al Jazeera, Borrell added , “If the international community believes that this is a slaughter, that too many people are being killed, maybe we have to think about the provision of arms.”
Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s instructions are being criticised by the Chief EU diplomat: that more than a million Palestinians seeking refuge in the Gaza city of Rafah be “evacuated” ahead of a planned Israeli military operation there.
Borrell asked Israeli PM that, “They are going to evacuate – where? To the moon? Where are they going to evacuate these people?”
The EU foreign policy chief expressed concerned over an invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. On February 11, he said an assault there “would lead to an unspeakable humanitarian catastrophe” and grave tensions with neighbouring Egypt.
Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis stated that European countries share responsibility for the atrocities being committed in Gaza.
“We Europeans created the problem … we are playing a vicious role, in its perpetuation,” Varoufakis told Al Jazeera.
Borrell was blamed by the former finance minister for hypocrisy for saying not enough pressure was being applied to Israel, asserting that the EU was “collectively arming” Israel.
“As we speak, Germany, France, and Italy are sending the armaments that are being used in Rafah to kill people,” Varoufakis added.
Moreover, Volker Turk, the UN’s human rights chief, has also expressed distress over an anticipated Israeli ground assault on Rafah.
Turk said it is “wholly imaginable what would lie ahead” if the planned incursion is not stopped.
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