To Israel’s far right, Trump’s proposals for Gaza keep sounding ‘better and better’
The call to relocate Gaza Palestinians matches proposals laid out by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right ministers
Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of Israel’s Otzma Yehudit party, and Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionist Party, attend a rally with supporters in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, Oct 26, 2022. Photo by Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP via Getty Images
(JTA) — President Donald Trump cast his dramatic proposals for the future of Gaza as a boon to Palestinians. But it was the Israeli far right that received them with giddy appreciation.
“When I said this time and again during the war, that this was the solution to Gaza, they mocked me,” Itamar Ben-Gvir tweeted, referring to Trump’s pronouncement that Palestinians should leave Gaza as it is rebuilt into a global city controlled by the United States.
“Now it is clear: this is the only solution to the Gaza problem — this is the strategy for the ‘day after,’” Ben-Gvir added. “I call on the prime minister to announce the adoption of the plan as soon as possible and to immediately take practical steps to advance it.”
Ben-Gvir, as well as far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have repeatedly called for Israel to encourage Gazans to emigrate, and for Israel to build settlements in the enclave. Prior to Trump taking office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not prioritized either idea, and had rejected the idea of Israeli settlements in Gaza.
Likewise, large U.S. Jewish groups have said they oppose any call for Jewish settlement in the enclave.
Ben-Gvir, formerly Israel’s national security minister, quit Netanyahu’s coalition last month to protest Israel’s current ceasefire deal with Hamas, which Trump demanded. He said on the radio on Wednesday that he would return to the coalition if Netanyahu carries out Trump’s vision.
Trump’s call for “all” Palestinians to leave Gaza, and for the United States to take control of it, exceeds even the dramatic proposals that Ben-Gvir and others on the far right have made. Ben-Gvir has floated “voluntary migration” for Gaza Palestinians, while Smotrich has said he believed half the enclave’s population of roughly 2 million could be “encouraged” to leave within two years.
Forced migration is illegal under international law, and a number of the Arab countries that Trump sees as destinations for Gaza Palestinians have flatly rejected his proposal.
Following Trump’s press conference, Smotrich tweeted a passage of gratitude from Psalms about pilgrims returning to the land of Israel, recited on Shabbat and holidays, along with a picture of Trump and Netanyahu smiling next to each other.
“Even better and even better,” Smotrich wrote, echoing the lyrics of a hit song that channels rabbinic teachings but is widely popular in Israel. “Thank you President Trump. Together, we will make the world great again 🇮🇱🇺🇸.”
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
