Israel seeks U.S. help on deals to move Palestinians out of Gaza
The head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, visited Washington this week to seek US support for a controversial plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, according to a report by Axios. During his meeting with White House envoy Steve Witkoff, Barnea said that Israel has been in talks with Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya to accept large numbers of Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza.
He reportedly urged the US to offer incentives to those countries and help Israel make the plan a reality. Witkoff did not commit to anything during the discussion, and it is unclear whether the US government will get involved.
Why is the plan controversial?
Israel’s government has described the move as a “voluntary” relocation, but both American and Israeli legal experts have said such actions could amount to a war crime. Nearly all of Gaza’s two million residents have been displaced during the ongoing conflict.
Most buildings in the territory have been damaged or destroyed, and people have been forced to flee repeatedly, often with nowhere safe to go.
Israel has been developing a strategy to move all Gazans to a narrow “humanitarian zone” near the Egyptian border.
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The plan has triggered serious concerns in Egypt and several Western capitals, where leaders fear it could be a step toward the mass removal of Palestinians from the territory.
What countries are involved?
Barnea told the US that Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya had shown “openness” to accepting displaced Palestinians. A senior Israeli official later claimed that any relocation would be “voluntary and not forced,” and that Palestinians who leave would be allowed to return to Gaza at any time.
However, this claim has been widely questioned, with critics pointing out that people fleeing war zones with nowhere to live cannot truly be said to be making a free choice.
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Has this been proposed before?
Back in February, US President Donald Trump proposed a similar plan to remove all Palestinians from Gaza and rebuild the region. But following strong opposition from Arab nations, the White House stepped back from the idea, according to US officials.
Later, Trump’s administration told Israeli leaders that if Netanyahu wanted to go ahead with the idea, he would need to secure agreements from other countries willing to take in Palestinians. Netanyahu then tasked Mossad with finding those partners, leading to Barnea’s recent visit to Washington.
What are leaders saying now?
Speaking during his visit to the White House last week, Netanyahu said Israel was “working very closely” with the US to identify countries willing to accept Palestinians.
He also referred to Trump’s earlier proposal, “I think President Trump had a brilliant vision. It’s called free choice. You know, if people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave.
It shouldn’t be a prison,” Netanyahu said. Following a private dinner, a senior Israeli official told reporters that Trump remains interested in pursuing the idea of Palestinian relocation. However, the White House has not publicly commented on the issue.
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