Israeli defence minister tells IDF to prepare plan for ‘voluntary departure’ of Gazans
Israel Katz's remarks are praised by far-right politicians Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has told the IDF to prepare a plan to allow the “voluntary departure” of residents from Gaza after saying he welcomes President Trump’s “bold plan” for the region.
“I have instructed the (army) to prepare a plan that would allow any Gaza resident who wishes to leave to do so, to any country willing to accept them,” Katz reportedly said on Thursday.
“The plan will include exit options through land crossings, as well as special arrangements for departure by sea and air.”
Discussing which countries might be among those to take Palestinians in, he said:”Countries like Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others, which have levelled accusations and false claims against Israel over its actions in Gaza, are legally obligated to allow any Gaza resident to enter their territories.”
He added:”Their hypocrisy will be exposed if they refuse to do so.
“There are countries like Canada, which has a structured immigration programme, that have previously expressed a willingness to accept Gaza residents.”
In an interview with Fox News, Benjamin Netanyahu did not discuss the US president’s initial pledge to “take over ” Gaza, but backed the idea of allowing people to leave if they wanted to.
“I mean, what’s wrong with that?” he said. “They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza.”
Katz’s comments were unsurprisingly welcomed by far-right ministers in the Israeli government.
“I congratulate the defense minister on his decision to instruct the IDF to prepare to fulfill our role in the migration plan to allow the departure of Gazans from Gaza to receiving countries,” finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said.
He added: “As we have been saying for many years, and even more so since the beginning of the war, there is no other realistic solution that will ensure peace and security for Israel and personal wellbeing for the residents of Gaza.”
Far-right leader Itamar Ben-Gvir called Katz’s orders an “important step, which recognizes that the real solution for Gaza is no longer dreams of ‘reconstruction’ and a return to the previous situation, but a fundamental change in reality”.
Trump officials appeared to be softening his comments about Gaza, made at a White House press conference on Tuesday.
Addressing the president’s comments on Wednesday, the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it “does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza” after Trump left a US military presence an open question on Tuesday.
The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, also said the Trump plan was not meant as a “hostile move”, but rather a generous gesture aimed at rebuilding.
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