Against Hague Lawsuit Backdrop, US Slams “Inflammatory Rhetoric” of Top Israeli Politicians
We have been clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land” said the State Department in response to Ben-Gvir and Smotrich’s calls to “resettle” Palestinians
Mandi Kogosowski
| 03/01/2024
The US State Department issued an unprecedented condemnation against top ministers in the Israeli government for calling to “resettle” Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip and for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the region.
Minister of National Defense Itamar Ben Gvir of the “Otzma Yehudit” (Jewish Power) Party, and Minister of Finance (who is also a second minister in the Ministry of Defense) Bezalel Smotrich from the Religious Zionism Party represent the extreme right faction of Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government. They are vehemently against the two-state solution and believe that the Jewish people have a God-given right over the entire land, including the West Bank and Gaza – and are quite vocal about that, retorting their “willful immigration” plans at every chance they get.
On Saturday, Smotrich said during an interview on the Israeli version of Meet the Press that after the war is over, Israel will control the Gaza Strip from a security/defense point of view, and therefore a Jewish civilian presence must also be there. “We want to encourage immigration, and we need to find countries willing to take them in,” he said, referring to the Palestinians in Gaza. The next day, Ben Gvir told his party members during their weekly meeting that encouraging the emigration of Gaza residents is a “just, moral, and humane solution” that will enable Israel’s return to Gush Katif – the part of the Gaza Strip it evacuated during the 2005 disengagement.
“The United States rejects recent statements from Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible,” said the US State Department’s announcement, signed by Spokesperson Matthew Miller.
“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. They should stop immediately.
“We have been clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel. That is the future we seek, in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians, the surrounding region, and the world,” the statement concludes.
The German and French governments joined the US today, publicizing their own condemnation.
Any resettlement of Palestinians and/or the return of Israeli civilians to reside in the Gaza Strip is not in accordance with Netanyahu’s official line. Yet, time and time again in recent weeks, he has refrained from convening his cabinet to discuss potential “day after” solutions. His replies to questions posed by the press on the matter have been evasive, at best.
This unorthodox US statement is published against the backdrop of a lawsuit Israel faces in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, filed by South Africa on Friday. South Africa accuses Israel of perpetrating genocide in the Gaza Strip, a claim Israel vehemently rejects. It is expected to send a delegate to the court, perhaps as early as next week. Both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are mentioned in the 84-page-long South African petition, which quotes some of their statements as proof of their genocide case. Their ongoing provocations (Ben Gvir said that "We are not the 51st star,", Smotrich said on Twitter that over 70% of Israelis support the willful transfer of Palestinians, without providing proof) will undoubtedly make it more difficult for Israel to defend its case in the ICJ, and to a crisis with the US.
We have been clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land” said the State Department in response to Ben-Gvir and Smotrich’s calls to “resettle” Palestinians
The US State Department issued an unprecedented condemnation against top ministers in the Israeli government for calling to “resettle” Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip and for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the region.
Minister of National Defense Itamar Ben Gvir of the “Otzma Yehudit” (Jewish Power) Party, and Minister of Finance (who is also a second minister in the Ministry of Defense) Bezalel Smotrich from the Religious Zionism Party represent the extreme right faction of Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government. They are vehemently against the two-state solution and believe that the Jewish people have a God-given right over the entire land, including the West Bank and Gaza – and are quite vocal about that, retorting their “willful immigration” plans at every chance they get.
On Saturday, Smotrich said during an interview on the Israeli version of Meet the Press that after the war is over, Israel will control the Gaza Strip from a security/defense point of view, and therefore a Jewish civilian presence must also be there. “We want to encourage immigration, and we need to find countries willing to take them in,” he said, referring to the Palestinians in Gaza. The next day, Ben Gvir told his party members during their weekly meeting that encouraging the emigration of Gaza residents is a “just, moral, and humane solution” that will enable Israel’s return to Gush Katif – the part of the Gaza Strip it evacuated during the 2005 disengagement.
“The United States rejects recent statements from Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible,” said the US State Department’s announcement, signed by Spokesperson Matthew Miller.
“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. They should stop immediately.
“We have been clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel. That is the future we seek, in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians, the surrounding region, and the world,” the statement concludes.
The German and French governments joined the US today, publicizing their own condemnation.
Any resettlement of Palestinians and/or the return of Israeli civilians to reside in the Gaza Strip is not in accordance with Netanyahu’s official line. Yet, time and time again in recent weeks, he has refrained from convening his cabinet to discuss potential “day after” solutions. His replies to questions posed by the press on the matter have been evasive, at best.
This unorthodox US statement is published against the backdrop of a lawsuit Israel faces in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, filed by South Africa on Friday. South Africa accuses Israel of perpetrating genocide in the Gaza Strip, a claim Israel vehemently rejects. It is expected to send a delegate to the court, perhaps as early as next week. Both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are mentioned in the 84-page-long South African petition, which quotes some of their statements as proof of their genocide case. Their ongoing provocations (Ben Gvir said that "We are not the 51st star,", Smotrich said on Twitter that over 70% of Israelis support the willful transfer of Palestinians, without providing proof) will undoubtedly make it more difficult for Israel to defend its case in the ICJ, and to a crisis with the US.
