Netanyahu’s political allies renew calls for removal of Gazans as Israeli election nears — SkimNews
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- Itamar Ben-Gvir laid out a seven-year plan to remove Gaza's population through "voluntary emigration" and said he would seek a new "ministry in charge of emigration" in the next government, adding: "Instead of illusions of peace now, we need actions of emigration now."
- Israel Katz said Wednesday there was "no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration," declaring Israel prepared to move Palestinians "by sea, by air, by every way possible" but not through Egypt.
- Ben-Gvir's Jewish Power party named Turkey, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo as potential destinations for resettled Palestinians, while Netanyahu's office declined to comment.
- The Oct. 27 election will be Israel's first since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks that killed 1,200 people in Israel; polls suggest Netanyahu could lose power, though analysts say he can't be written off.
- Israel's defence ministry set up an office overseeing "voluntary emigration" from Gaza in 2025 after President Trump floated the idea; Trump later backed away amid resistance from Arab states.
- Ben-Gvir posted an AI-generated video this week showing Palestinian prisoners emerging emaciated from a conveyor belt; he deleted it after millions of views on X.
- Palestinians in Gaza rejected the proposals as an election ploy, with 52-year-old Mohammed Abu Al-Qumbuz declaring from a displacement camp: "We will die on the land of Gaza."
Why it matters: With Netanyahu trailing in polls three weeks before the Oct. 27 vote, his far-right allies are openly campaigning on mass displacement — a position Netanyahu's office won't endorse or deny. If either Ben-Gvir or Katz gains enough leverage in a new coalition, a formal "ministry of emigration" and resettlement talks with Turkey, Ethiopia, or the DRC could move from rhetoric to policy, deepening Palestinian fears of a second Nakba.
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