Ben Gvir set to unveil $20bn plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza within seven years
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir will unveil a plan on Thursday to "encourage voluntary emigration from Gaza", making it a central plank of his election campaign and a key demand for joining any future coalition.
Ben Gvir, who leads the Jewish supremacist Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, has called the ethnic cleansing plan “Disengagement 710”.
Israeli media reports that the far-right minister has spent months developing the proposal, which aims to force 250,000 Palestinians from Gaza during its first year.
Within three years, Israel would forcibly transfer 1.11 million Palestinians from their land. By the end of the seven-year programme, that figure would reach about 1.86 million.
Israel has already paved the way for such a plan by destroying or damaging more than 80 percent of Gaza’s homes, businesses, schools, universities and hospitals, while also withholding food and water.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Israel also continues to kill Palestinians in Gaza every day, despite a ceasefire signed in October.
Against this background, Israel seeks to portray the departure of Palestinians from Gaza as “voluntary”.
Under Ben Gvir’s plan, Israel would work to expel Palestinians to countries including Turkey, Ethiopia and Congo, as well as several Arab states.
The proposal would require “international partnership”, with participating countries accepting Palestinians expelled under the plan.
The Jewish Power leader will also set out the projected cost of his programme, which is likely to draw international condemnation.
The plan would cost more than $3bn in its first year and about $20bn in total over seven years.
Ben Gvir is expected to make the proposal a condition for joining the next government. He currently serves in a coalition led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ben Gvir will also demand the appointment of a minister to oversee the forcible transfer of Palestinians, supported by a director general, a dedicated budget, extensive powers and an international negotiating team.
Ben Gvir’s announcement follows similar remarks from Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday.
“There is no real solution for Gaza in the end without migration,” Katz said at a conference hosted by Israeli outlet Ynet in cooperation with the Israel Democracy Institute.
“What’s delaying it is that the accepting countries want US support. Every country that is willing wants American backing. Currently, President Trump didn’t cancel this; he froze it. All the Arab countries came to him due to their pressure on this matter,” Katz said.
At the end of June, Israel renamed its plan to forcibly transfer Palestinians from Gaza, abandoning the term “voluntary migration” in favour of “Freedom of Movement Plan”. The framework lacks provisions or guarantees for a right of return.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
