Israel and the US - 4 initiatives for the voluntary departure of Gaza residents to other countries
The plan revealed in "Israel Today" was presented to senior officials of both parties in the House of Representatives and the Senate - received their blessing โข Now three similar plans are being promoted โข The countries in question: Egypt, Iraq, Yemen and Turkey
New details are revealed today (Thursday) about the proposals to resettle residents from the Gaza Strip in Arab countries and around the world.
Besides the plan revealed on the Israel Hayom website, three other initiatives are now being put forward that offer the public in Gaza to immigrate to other countries. It should be emphasized that in all the proposals we are talking about voluntary immigration only, and not coercion.
The American administration already announced in the early stages of the war that it would oppose the forced removal of the residents of Gaza from the Strip. However, the official statements indicate that the government will not oppose voluntary departure. An initiative was revealed on the Israel Hayom website, publicly sponsored by US House of Representatives member Joey Wilson, according to which the US will condition its continued economic aid to Egypt, Turkey and Yemen on the condition that residents who leave Gaza settle in their territory. The plan was presented to senior members of the House of Representatives and the Senate from both parties, and received their blessing.
"Not only Egypt"
"Hamas does not allow the refugees to leave, and Egypt does not agree to open its borders," write the authors of the program, "the only moral solution is to ensure that Egypt opens its borders and allows the refugees to escape the control of the dictators of Hamas. The US government provides Egypt with approximately 1.3 billion dollars in foreign aid , and these funds can be allocated to refugees from Gaza who will be allowed to enter Egypt.
"Egypt must not be the only country. Iraq and Yemen receive about $1 billion in US foreign aid, and Turkey receives more than $150 million. Each of these countries receives enough foreign aid, and has a large enough population to be able to take in refugees, which total at least 1 % of its population". The drafters of the initiative call on the US government to "allocate financial aid to Egypt, Iraq, Yemen and Turkey - on the condition that they accept a certain number of refugees".
The plan details the number of Gazan residents that each of the countries will receive: one million in Egypt (0.9% of the population), half a million in Turkey (0.6% of the population), 250 thousand in Iraq (0.6% of the population), and another 250 thousand in Yemen (0.75% of the population). As mentioned, each of these countries receives extensive financial aid from the US, and according to the planners, as mentioned, its continuation should be conditioned on the acceptance of the Gazans.
They further note: "This will not be the first time that other countries will receive refugees. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, for example, more than 6 million Ukrainians have fled the country. Since 2011, 6.7 million Syrians have fled Syria. 3.2 million Syrian refugees have been transferred to Turkey, 789 thousand to Lebanon , 653 thousand to Jordan and 150 thousand to Egypt. Other countries in the Middle East and Europe received hundreds of thousands."
Another initiative continues to be promoted by MKs Dani Danon (Likud) and Ram Ben-Barak (Yesh Atid), who put the issue on the international agenda. The two are talking with world leaders, and have even received inquiries from countries that are interested in the initiative.
"Relocation Gaza"
A third program is called "Gaza Relocation", and it is promoted by Likud member Amir Whitman. In a conversation with Israel Hayom, Whitman said: "The discourse is both in the Knesset and among international parties, including both parties in the US. There are many sensitivities and complexities, so at the moment people are not talking publicly yet, but are open to ideas. However, this should be done delicately." According to him, "the more it is clear that Israel is interested in this direction, the more it will affect the international factors."
A fourth initiative is being promoted in the US by a group of supporters of Israel from both parties, and is called "Gaza Transition - Helping Gaza's Non-Combatant Residents to Leave It." Professor Edward (Coach) Winehouse is the living spirit behind it.
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