US ambassador says Israel has no plan to forcibly displace Gazans

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee categorically denied that Israel plans to force Palestinians out of Gaza, after an Israeli minister publicly advocated such a policy.

“I can tell you categorically that the Israelis have no plan to displace people from Gaza against their will,” Huckabee told reporters Saturday during a visit to Turmus Ayya, a West Bank village with a large Palestinian-American population.

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I can tell you categorically that the Israelis have no plan to displace people from Gaza against their will.

The statement followed a proposal from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. On Thursday, the far-right minister called for Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip for other countries. He proposed removing 250,000 people within one year, followed by the departure of the territory’s remaining roughly two million residents over six years. Ben Gvir called the plan realistic.

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The people in these communities have a right to live with a level of security, and the government has a responsibility to guarantee that this is so.

In Turmus Ayya, where Israeli settlers have carried out attacks in recent months, Huckabee referred to “serious consequences” without specifying them. He said residents had a right to live securely and that Israel’s government had a responsibility to ensure their safety.

Huckabee said he had come to hear the “legitimate grievances” of the Palestinian-American community. He said Israel had an interest in stopping the violence, which he described as the work of a small minority. “There may be several hundred responsible, but those several hundred are too many,” he said.

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There may be several hundred responsible, but those several hundred are too many.