UAE and Seven Other Nations Strongly Condemn Israeli Officials' Calls for Displacement of Palestinians from Gaza

The UAE is among eight countries to strongly condemn remarks by Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Defence Minister Israel Katz regarding the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia also joined the condemnation in a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of the eight nations.

The statement rejected any attempts or plans aimed at displacing the Palestinian people, whether within or outside the occupied Palestinian territory, warning that calls for forced displacement could have grave consequences. The ministers emphasized that such proposals flagrantly violate principles of international law, including international humanitarian law, and pose a direct threat to the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

Furthermore, the ministers stressed that Gaza is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory and called for the preservation of the unity of the Palestinian territories, encompassing the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. They reiterated that a two-state solution, featuring an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, remains the sole path to a just and lasting peace. The eight countries also urged the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to confront attempts to impose a new demographic or geographic reality in Palestine.

Mr Ben-Gvir presented a plan on Thursday to illegally expel all Gazans to foreign countries, characterizing the policy as realistic. His proposal aimed to remove 250,000 Palestinians from the enclave during the first year, followed by the remaining population of two million over a six-year period, while claiming that certain countries were ready to accept Palestinians. Arab nations have historically rejected the forced displacement of Gazans and refused participation in such plans.

Mr Katz stated on Wednesday that plans to expel Gazans by any means remained under discussion in Israel but had been frozen by US President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told reporters in Turmus Ayya on Saturday that no plan exists to force Palestinians to leave the enclave against their will, noting that people should have the right to leave if they wish, without forced displacement.

Despite a US-backed ceasefire implemented in October last year, Israel continues military attacks in Gaza. The offensive has devastated the enclave and displaced the majority of its population following the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led attacks killed 1,200 people in Israel and 240 were taken hostage. Health authorities in Gaza report that more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's attacks.

Calls for the resettlement of Gazans have sparked widespread fears among Palestinians of a renewed Nakba, recalling the displacement of hundreds of thousands after the 1948 war. While a UN inquiry determined that Israel committed genocide in Gaza—citing killings, siege, and destruction carried out with the intent to destroy Palestinian life—Israel has rejected these allegations, maintaining that its military campaign targets Hamas rather than Gazan civilians.