Israel could encourage Gazans to leave their homes voluntarily, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says.
Israel could “encourage” about half of Gaza’s 2.2 million people to leave their homes voluntarily, Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich says.
According to Smotrich, Israel could occupy the Gaza Strip and its population could be halved within two years. According to Smotrich, occupation should not be thought of as an “ugly word”.
The Minister of Finance told about his idea at an event organized by the Yesha Council, which represents Israeli settlements in the West Bank, The Times of Israel reports. According to Smotrich, a large-scale plan could be implemented inexpensively.
– This won’t cost too much money, and even if it does, we shouldn’t be afraid of the price.
Smotrich estimates the price of the “security solution” to be about five billion Israeli shekels, or about $1.37 billion.
The “voluntary departure” of Gazans from the Gaza Strip is a common idea among the extreme right in Israel, which is also supported by, among others, the country’s security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Politicians are not fully open about how to get Gazans to leave their homes voluntarily.