Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the Israeli military to prepare a plan that would encourage Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip, according to a report shared on Thursday. The minister also suggested that the refugees should be taken in by European countries that have spoken out against Israel’s military actions in the enclave. Katz said it would “unmask the hypocrisy” of these countries if they refused to accept the people of Gaza.
This comes after US President Donald Trump’s comments on Tuesday, in which he stated that the United States would “take over” the Gaza Strip and lead the rebuilding efforts. Trump added that the Palestinians living there should leave and be supported by “neighboring countries with great wealth.”
Katz praised Trump’s “bold initiative” to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
He named Spain, Ireland and Norway as potential destinations for the displaced Palestinians, saying that these countries had “wrongly accused” Israel of its war against the Hamas in Gaza and were therefore “legally obligated to allow the people of Gaza to enter their territory.”
In response to Katz’s comments, the Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares rejected the idea of Spain taking in refugees from Gaza.
“Spain makes its decisions sovereign and independent. No third party should tell us what to do” Albares told the RNE news agency.
The minister emphasized that “Gaza is the land of the people of Gaza” and that “Gaza should be part of the future Palestinian state.” He added that the debate on whether Palestinians should leave Gaza was “closed” and that Spain would provide as much humanitarian aid as possible to help the people of Gaza.
Ireland, which recognized Palestine as a state last year, also rejected Katz’s comments on taking in war refugees.
In a statement sent to Reuters, the Irish Foreign Ministry said, “The goal must be a massive increase in help for Gaza, a return to the basic provision of services and a clear framework for the return of the displaced” and added, “Any contrary comment is not helpful and only serves to distract.