From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 6, 2025
‘No other realistic solution’: Far-right leaders hail Katz’s order to prep Gaza voluntary migration
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Far-right politicians enthusiastically welcome Defense Minister Israel Katz’s announcement that he has ordered the IDF to prepare a plan to enable Gazans to leave the Strip voluntarily.
“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,” says Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
“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.”
Smotrich has previously called on Israel to occupy Gaza and encourage half of the Strip’s 2.2 million Palestinians to emigrate within two years. He has expressed strong enthusiasm for US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians, telling reporters last month that he was working on an “operational plan” to turn it into actionable policy.
Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir calls Katz’s preparations for “the voluntary departure of Gaza residents” 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.
“The possibility of voluntary departure is a necessary step to ensure the security of Israeli citizens and to strengthen Israeli deterrence. It is time for the world to understand: Gaza cannot continue to be a hotbed of terrorism, and the responsibility for this lies not with Israel but with those who chose terrorism,” Ben Gvir declares, calling on the government “to move forward with determination, remove every bureaucratic obstacle, and ensure that this option becomes a reality as soon as possible.”
