Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Thursday unveiled a plan for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza’s Palestinian population, which he and other Israeli ministers refer to as “voluntary migration,” a day after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the removal of Palestinians was the only “real solution” for Gaza.
Ben Gvir dubbed his plan “Disengagement 710” and said that it would involve removing 250,000 Palestinians from Gaza in the first year, 1.11 million within three years, and finally, 1.86 million over seven years. He said that his Jewish Power party would demand the establishment of an “emigration ministry” in the next Israeli government following the upcoming October elections.
A national action plan for voluntary emigration from the Gaza Strip
In remarks on the plan, Ben Gvir said that he had been considered “delusional” for seeking the ethnic cleansing of Gaza until President Trump called for Palestinians to leave the territory early last year.
“At first, I was treated as a delusional extremist,” Ben Gvir said, according to The Times of Israel. “Then, one day, everything changed: President Trump publicly declared that encouraging emigration was a solution to the Gaza issue. Suddenly, Ben Gvir’s plan became legitimate. Suddenly, everyone became Ben Gvir.”
Katz said a day earlier that Trump had not “canceled” the plan to remove Palestinians from Gaza but just “froze” it and that countries were willing to take in Gaza’s population if they had US support. “What’s delaying it is that the accepting countries want US support. Every country that is willing wants American backing. Currently, President Trump didn’t cancel this; he froze it. All the Arab countries came to him due to their pressure on this matter,” he said.
Ben Gvir on Thursday also referenced Rehavam Ze’evi, nicknamed “Gandhi, an Israeli lawmaker who was assassinated in 2001 and was known for wanting to cleanse both Gaza and the West Bank of their entire Palestinian population. “What a shame they didn’t listen to Gandhi,” he said. “It’s time to admit it: Gandhi was right!”
