Qatar condemns new Israeli measures on Gaza emigration, West Bank development

Qatar harshly rejects recently approved policies in Israel regarding the relocation of Gazans and bolstering of West Bank settlements.

“The State of Qatar condemns, in the strongest terms, the Israeli occupation’s announcement to establish an agency targeting the displacement of Palestinian brothers from the Gaza Strip, as well as its approval of the separation of 13 illegal settlement neighborhoods in the West Bank,” announces Doha’s Foreign Ministry on X.

“Any form of Palestinian displacement constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. Furthermore, the expansion of settlements represents a blatant disregard for international legitimacy,” the post continues.

Last night, the security cabinet approved a proposal by Defense Minister Israel Katz to establish a new administration in the Defense Ministry tasked with enabling Palestinians to “voluntarily” leave the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Katz’s office said the new directorate will work to “prepare for and enable safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents for their voluntary departure to third countries.”

The security cabinet also approved yesterday a decision to split off 13 so-called “neighborhoods” of existing West Bank settlements from their “mother settlements,” thereby turning them into 13 independent settlements.

Qatar calls “for strong international solidarity to hold the occupation accountable for complying with the will for peace and to immediately end the brutal war on the Gaza Strip,” reaffirming its support for “the Palestinian cause and the resilience of the Palestinian people, based on international legitimacy and the two-state solution.”