Likud minister suggests world should promote ‘voluntary resettlement’ of Gazans

Likud Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel says the international community should promote the “voluntary resettlement” of Palestinians in Gaza to sites around the globe.

Writing in The Jerusalem Post, she says that one “option” after the war would be “to promote the voluntary resettlement of Palestinians in Gaza, for humanitarian reasons, outside of the Strip.”

“Instead of funnelling money to rebuild Gaza or to the failed UNRWA, the international community can assist in the costs of resettlement, helping the people of Gaza build new lives in their new host countries,” she continues.

“Gaza has long been thought of as a problem without an answer,” Gamliel writes. “We must try something new, and we call on the international community to help make it a reality.”

“It could be a win-win solution: a win for those civilians of Gaza who seek a better life and a win for Israel after this devastating tragedy,” she adds.

Any suggestion of Palestinian dispersal is highly controversial in the Arab world, and Egypt, which borders the Gaza Strip, has steadfastly refused to entertain even the temporary resettlement of Gazan refugees in its territory during the war, saying they must stay in the Strip.