The statements were made by Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, at a time when international pressure is increasing to end the war in Gaza and reach arrangements that put an end to the human suffering in the Strip.
Ben Gvir revealed a plan that he said aimed to remove 250,000 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip during the first year, provided that the plan would later include the rest of the Strip’s population, whose number is estimated at about two million people, over a period of six years, as the Israeli minister proposed the idea of establishing a government body (a ministry) to handle the file of what he described as “immigration,” with reference to third countries to which the Palestinians could be transferred.
Ben Gvir's statements coincided with Katz's announcement that Israel has ready plans to remove the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, but is waiting for the approval of the United States and the acceptance of (the countries) the destination to which the residents of the Gaza Strip can be transferred.
Urgent Arab-Islamic action
In the face of these statements, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan condemned in the strongest terms what was issued by Ben Gvir and Katz regarding the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
The ministers affirmed their categorical rejection of any attempts or plans aimed at displacing Palestinians, whether inside or outside the occupied Palestinian territories, and under any name or pretext.
The joint statement stressed that putting forward plans aimed at forcibly removing Palestinians from their land represents a flagrant violation of the principles of international law, including international humanitarian law, and carries great risks to security and stability in the region.
The eight countries also warned against turning calls for forced displacement into declared policy or practical measures, stressing that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory, and that its geographical unity with the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, must be preserved.
Arab League: Displacement “totally rejected”
The League of Arab States joined the wave of condemnations, as its Secretary-General, Nabil Fahmy, expressed his strong condemnation of the Israeli statements aimed at displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Fahmi stressed that talk about the displacement of the Palestinian people is “totally rejected,” considering that the plans and actions aimed at compromising the inalienable rights of the Palestinians represent a clear violation of the principles of international law and international humanitarian law.
The Secretary-General warned that issuing these statements in conjunction with the continued suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, and Israel’s failure to respond to peace efforts, would complicate the situation and threaten the security and stability of the region.
He reaffirmed the Arab League's support for the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land, stressing that any talk about the future of the Gaza Strip, geographically and demographically, cannot be separated from the broader Palestinian issue and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Arab Parliament warns of "ethnic cleansing"
For his part, the Speaker of the Arab Parliament, Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Yamahi, escalated the tone of response, describing the statements of the two Israeli government ministers regarding the displacement of Gaza’s residents as “racist and dangerous.”
He said that these statements “reveal a systematic Israeli project to uproot the Palestinians from their land and impose a new demographic and geographic reality by force,” warning that converting these calls into official policy or practical measures requires urgent international action.
Al-Yamahi considered that the forced displacement of Palestinians represents a war crime, a crime against humanity, and ethnic cleansing, calling on the Security Council and the international community to take action to prevent any forced change in the demographic composition of the occupied Palestinian territories.
