Ben Gvir hoping Trump will work with Israel to encourage voluntary emigration of Gazans

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says he has high hopes that US President-elect Donald Trump will work with Israel to do “big things” in the Gaza Strip when he enters the White House in January.

In an interview with the Maariv podcast, Ben Gvir says that if it were up to him, he would present Trump with “a program to encourage migration and settlements in Gaza.”

The plan, he clarifies, would be two-fold. While first and foremost, it would encourage Israelis to settle in the Gaza Strip, it would also promote the “emigration” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

“I would tell the president to join us in this endeavor,” he says, espousing what he says would be the “moral” and “logical” choice.

“It will also be good for the residents of Gaza who emigrate, voluntarily of course,” he claims. “I think it will also do us good.”

“When have we defeated our enemies?” the ultranationalist minister asks rhetorically. “It’s always been when we’ve taken territory from them. When we liberated — they call it ‘occupied’ I say we liberated — the territory, that’s always been the thing that punishes them most.”

Regarding Trump’s threat earlier this week that there would be “hell to pay” if hostages held “in the Middle East” aren’t released by the time he enters office on January 20, Ben Gvir says he believes the president-elect was ramping up pressure on Hamas, despite not mentioning the terror group by name.

“I think it makes a lot of sense,” he says. “At the end of the day, I expect that we will do things, and have the power to do things, that will expedite the return of the hostages.”