U.S. Slams Israeli Ministers For Plan To Expel Palestinians

The US has condemned comments by two far-right Israeli ministers calling for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza, describing their rhetoric as "inflammatory and irresponsible," Darryl Coote reported for United Press International (UPI).

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that the ministers should "stop immediately." I Photo: Matthew Miller X

"We have been told repeatedly and consistently by the government of Israel, including by the prime minister, that such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

"They should stop immediately."

The criticism, the strongest coming from the US against Israel since its war with Hamas began on Oct. 7, is in response to comments made by Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's finance minister, and Itamar Ben Gvir, the Middle Eastern country's minister of national security.

The ministers are members of far-right nationalist parties that helped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secure his coalition government in December of 2022.

On Monday, they called for the "voluntary emigration" of Palestinians from Gaza, which Israel has era. Much of it has been razed since October under Israel's incessant airstrikes.

Ben Gvir told reporters and members of his Otzma Yehudit party on Monday that the war "presents an opportunity to concentrate on the migration of the residents of Gaza," a plan he said was "a correct, just, moral and humane solution," The Times of Israel reported.

Smotrich also said the encouragement of voluntary migration from Gaza to other countries as refugees was the "correction solution."

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