The US State Department has rejected recent comments from two Israeli ministers, calling them “irresponsible” and “seditious” because they advocate for the resettlement of Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip.
“The United States rejects recent statements by Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
“This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible. The Israeli government, including the Prime Minister, has repeatedly and repeatedly told us that such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government. You should stop immediately,” he added.
Smotrich, Israel's finance minister, and Gvir, the country's national security minister, came under fire earlier this week after each suggested that the war in Gaza could lead to the resettlement of the Palestinian people.
Smotrich told reporters on Monday that the solution to the war was to “encourage the voluntary migration of Gazans to countries willing to accept the refugees,” the Times of Israel reported.
Ben Gvir echoed similar sentiments, telling reporters on Monday that the war offered an “opportunity to focus on encouraging the migration of Gazans,” according to the newspaper.
“We cannot withdraw from any area in the Gaza Strip where we are. Not only do I not rule out Jewish settlement there, I also believe that this is an important thing,” said Ben Gvir.
The US has repeatedly pushed for a two-state solution. Miller said in one Post on Xthe platform formerly known as Twitter said that “there should be no mass expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza.”
“We have stated clearly, consistently and unequivocally that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and no terrorist groups able to threaten Israel,” Miller said in his explanation. “This is the future we strive for, for the sake of the Israelis and Palestinians, the surrounding region and the world.”
According to the Associated Press, about 85 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have already been displaced since the war began last year. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has reported that more than 20,000 people have died in the territory since the war began.
Hamas' attacks on Israel on October 7 left about 1,200 people dead, while about 240 others were taken hostage by the militants. Since then, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas, warning earlier this week that there would be “many more months” of fighting.
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