Ben-Gvir unveils plan to displace 1.86M Palestinians from Gaza

The proposal aims to move people from the enclave within seven years.

Tel Aviv: Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Thursday, September 3, unveiled an election campaign proposal that would seek to facilitate the departure of about 1.86 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip over seven years under what he described as a programme of “voluntary emigration”.

The plan, dubbed “Disengagement 710”, sets a target of 250,000 Palestinians leaving Gaza in its first year, rising to about 1.11 million within three years and 1.86 million within seven years, according to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. About 2 million Palestinians currently live in the territory.

Speaking at a press conference, Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, claimed that countries were prepared to receive Palestinians and that many people in Gaza wanted to leave. However, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that no country had yet been identified as willing to accept large numbers of Palestinians from Gaza.

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Ben-Gvir said no family would leave without a destination and that families would remain together. Under the proposal, those leaving would receive housing, education and employment support for up to two years.

According to the newspaper, the scheme would require an initial Israeli investment of 10 billion shekels, or about USD 3.1 billion, and proposes a financing framework of up to 50 billion shekels, or roughly USD 15.6 billion, subject to international participation and agreements with receiving countries.

The proposal includes documentation, visas, travel funding, initial accommodation, vocational training and employment assistance. It also calls for security checks, annual targets and monthly reports on applications, approvals, departures, costs and integration in receiving countries.

Host countries a key obstacle

Ben-Gvir called for a dedicated “Ministry of Immigration” to oversee the programme, including a minister, director-general, budget, international negotiating team and an independent implementation body. His Jewish Power party plans to make the proposal and the establishment of the ministry a key demand in coalition negotiations after the next election.

The plan faces a major obstacle in finding countries willing to receive large numbers of Palestinians. An unnamed senior Israeli official told Yedioth Ahronoth that while the proposal required people willing to leave and countries willing to receive them, the latter was more difficult to secure.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that a separate plan to facilitate the departure of Palestinians from Gaza had not been cancelled but was currently frozen. He said no country was willing to receive them and that Egypt had refused to allow Palestinians to be displaced through its territory.

Israel’s war on Gaza began following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities. Israel’s subsequent military offensive has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.