Extreme right-wing Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has expressed praise for a proposal by US President Donald Trump for Gaza Strip Palestinians to be resettled in Arab countries.
“After 76 years in which the majority of the population of Gaza was detained under hard conditions to maintain the aim of destroying Israel, the idea of helping them by finding other places where they could start a new and better life is outstanding,” he posted in Hebrew in a post on X on Sunday.
For years, politicians had put forward impracticable proposals, such as establishing a Palestinian state that would jeopardize Israel’s existence and security, Smotrich posted.
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Only “unconventional thinking” on new approaches could bring peace and security, he said, pledging to work with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to implement Trump’s plan.
Speaking earlier to journalists aboard Air Force One, Trump suggested that Egypt and Jordan could take in Gaza Strip residents. The measure could be long-term or temporary, while the devastated region was rebuilt, he said.
Smotrich has in the past backed Israeli resettlement of the Gaza Strip. Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, rejected this. A year ago, Smotrich said that, if Israeli acted correctly, Palestinians would emigrate.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, who resigned as national security minister last week, has also backed Trump’s proposal.
