Smotrich delves into Trump's plan of displacing Palestinians from Gaza
4 Min Read
The Finance Minister's announcement comes as "Israel" mounts its efforts to implement Trump's Gaza plan, which is facing a worldwide backlash for being a forced expulsion plan.
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Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli Minister of Finance, addresses the parliament in occupied al-Quds, occupied Palestine, on March 27, 2023 (AP)
US President Donald Trump's plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza is "taking shape", announced Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday, despite widespread rejection in the region.
"This plan is taking shape, with ongoing actions in coordination with the (US) administration," Smotrich told an event in the Israeli parliament.
Smotrich added that preparations are underway to form an administration that will handle the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza under the infamous plan.
"This has the potential to create a historic change in the Middle East and for the state of Israel," he said.
During a Knesset "Land of Israel" caucus meeting, the Israeli minister affirmed that the said managing body would be part of the Israeli Police Ministry, led by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Police, while emphasizing that the "budget won't be an obstruction."
Smotrich noted that "Israel" and the United States are cooperating to choose the countries the Palestinians will be sent to, adding that "logistics will be complicated, since we need to know who is going and where..."
"It involves identifying key countries, understanding their interests -- both with the US and with us -- and fostering cooperation," so implementing the plan would be a massive logistical operation, said Smotrich.
"Just to give you an idea -- if we remove 10,000 people a day, seven days a week, it will take six months," he added.
"If we remove 5,000 people a day, it will take a year. Of course, this is assuming we have countries willing to take them, but these are very, very, very long processes."
Meanwhile, Smotrich quoted US administration officials as saying, "It is not possible for 2 million people who hate Israel so stay close to its fences" to reaffirm that Trump's plan "must be seized with both hands."
Trump's plan gets countered by Arab, Muslim nations
Last week, an Arab counterproposal to Trump's plan was presented on March 4, with several Islamic nations and European governments endorsing it.
The Arab proposal aims to rebuild Gaza without displacing Gazans, who endured more than 15 months of devastating war before a fragile ceasefire took effect on January 19.
Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the Arab plan was a "good-faith first step from the Egyptians," although other Israeli and US officials expressed reservations.
Egypt's plan to rebuild Gaza was put forward during the emergency Arab summit, which was convened in response to Trump's announcement that he plans to forcibly displace all Palestinians from Gaza and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East."
Egypt unveiled its plan ahead of the summit, with the Egyptian Foreign Minister saying it is designed to ensure the Palestinian people's dignity and rights and will include international funding and support.
The plan begins by establishing a Gaza Administration Committee to govern the Strip for a six-month transitional phase, during which Egypt and Jordan will train Palestinian police forces for deployment across Gaza.
In addition, Cairo suggested that the United Nations Security Council consider the establishment of an international presence in the Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and Gaza, while exploring the issuance of a resolution to deploy international peacekeeping forces as an integral component of a comprehensive framework aimed at the creation of a Palestinian state
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation adopted the Egyptian plan during a meeting on March 8, however, the plan faced dismissal by "Israel" and the US administration, with the US National Security Council spokesperson saying that it "overlooks the stark reality of its uninhabitable conditions."
Britain, France, Germany, and Italy welcomed the Arab proposal to rebuild Gaza, describing it as a "realistic path" in a joint statement release on March 8 that said the Arab plan "promises—if implemented—swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza."
