Israeli media reported on Dec. 25 that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for a plan to implement “voluntary migration” of the Palestinians in Gaza, to other countries. Israel Hayom daily, a free Hebrew-language newspaper, most widely distributed, reported that Netanyahu revealed his scheme during a closed-door parliamentary session for his ruling Likud Party lawmakers. “Our problem is the countries that are willing to absorb [them], and we are working on it,” Netanyahu is reported as saying.
On Dec. 26, Haaretz, under the headline, “Israeli MK: Countries in South America, Africa Offered To Accept Refugees From Gaza, in Exchange for Payment,” reported that Knesset Member and former Israeli Ambassador to the UN (2015-20) Danny Danon said Dec. 25, in an interview on radio station Kan Bet, that Israel has ostensibly received inquiries from countries willing to take in refugees from the Gaza Strip. “I received inquiries from various countries … from countries that are ready to take in refugees and in the past were even in contact with the State of Israel on this issue … these are countries from South America and Africa,” said Danon.
He went on that “some of them asked for payment and some of them asked for other things.” According to Danon, this is “voluntary migration [sic] of Palestinians who wish to leave. It happens in every war, look at what’s happening in Syria—one and a half million went to Jordan, 3 million went to Türkiye and another few million went to Europe.” Danon added that “we will keep in touch with the countries of the region first, and the countries of the world, and not scare them with large numbers. Even if each country receives 10,000, 20,000 Gazans, this is significant.”
