Ben-Gvir unveils illegal plan to remove entire Gaza population

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir unveiled an illegal plan to forcibly remove all Palestinians from Gaza, claiming it was "realistic." His proposal aims to deport 250,000 Palestinians in the first year, with the remaining two million over the next six years. Ben-Gvir asserted that certain countries are "ready" to accommodate the displaced Palestinians.

However, Arab nations have consistently rejected such forced displacement and have not participated in any such plans. This announcement followed a press conference on Thursday, positioning Ben-Gvir as another senior Israeli official advocating for the expulsion of Gazans. The Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, had previously mentioned that plans to expel Gazans "by any means" were under consideration but later frozen by US President Donald Trump.

A recent poll of Israelis revealed that 82% supported the expulsion of Gaza residents. The forced transfer of civilians from an occupied territory is considered a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. US Senator Chris van Hollen criticized Katz's rhetoric, calling it part of a plan to "ethnically cleanse Gaza of Palestinians" and urged an end to US "complicity."

Democratic Congressman Greg Landsman labeled Ben-Gvir "the absolute worst" after his plan's presentation. He expressed hope for a new Israeli government in a few weeks to address the issue. A Ynet article reported that the plan had failed, citing a lack of countries willing to accept significant numbers of Gazan immigrants. Israeli rights group Adalah deemed Ben-Gvir's proposal illegal, inhumane, and unacceptable.

They emphasized that the proposal is merely an extension of ongoing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed by Israel in Gaza. Adalah lawyer Muna Haddad stated that the proposal should not be seen as an isolated extremist move but as a continuation of Israel's ongoing violations in Gaza. Ben-Gvir defended his record in office, citing the passage of controversial legislation, including gun reform, prison reform, emergency squads, and a National Guard, as well as the death penalty law for terrorists.

Despite the plan's failure, Israeli bombing in Gaza continues. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Wednesday that Israel is not withdrawing from the strip, asserting control over 60% of it and eliminating terrorists.