Katz points to countries such as Spain, Ireland and Norway as future destinations for Palestinians leaving the Strip
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday ordered the Army to prepare for the “voluntary departure” of the population of the Gaza Strip following the plan announced this week by US President Donald Trump, which advocates “permanently relocating” Gazans to Jordan and Egypt.
Katz, who described the New York magnate’s idea as “brave,” pointed out that Gazans are now “hostages” of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). “Before, they were used as human shields. Hamas has built an infrastructure to perpetrate terrorism and placed it in the heart of urban centers. Now it extorts Gazans and prevents them from leaving Gaza,” he lamented.
He has thus applauded Trump’s controversial plan and has pointed out that this would allow a large number of Gazan residents to “leave the area to go to various places in the world.” That is why he has asked the Armed Forces to “draw up a plan so that all residents who wish to emigrate can do so with the assurance that the destination will welcome them,” as he has pointed out.
In this regard, he has mentioned countries such as Spain, Ireland, Norway and Canada, among others, which have been pouring out “false accusations” in relation to Israel and “its war against Hamas in Gaza.” “If these countries refuse to accept the Palestinians, we will see their hypocrisy,” he has asserted, according to information collected by the newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’.
This plan, he has explained, will establish “exits through border crossings” but also “air and sea routes specially set for the occasion.” “Residents of Gaza should be free to emigrate and leave the area, just as they are around the world. Trump’s plan could lead to progress towards a demilitarized Gaza that does not pose a threat,” he said.
