The Minister of National Security of Israel, the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, announced this Thursday a plan with which he intends to facilitate the relocation of 1.86 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip over a period of seven years, as part of the electoral campaign of his party, Otzma Yehudit.
The initiative, called Disconnection 710 in reference to both the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 and the attacks carried out by Palestinian militias on October 7, 2023, aims to promote the "voluntary migration" of 1.86 million residents of Gaza over seven years.
Ben Gvir argues that it would not be a "forced expulsion" of the population, but rather a mechanism to offer the inhabitants of the Palestinian enclave the possibility of moving to receiving countries with a defined legal status, financial support, and integration programs.
To this end, the leader proposes the establishment of a ministry dedicated exclusively to what he describes as "voluntary emigration," with its own head, specific budget allocations, and operational capacity to close agreements with the states willing to host the Gazans.
The document details that the "voluntary" exit would affect 250,000 people in the first year and reach 1.11 million in the third, until reaching 1.86 million Gazans within seven years. The relocations would be articulated through assumptions such as family reunification, job offers, studies, or medical and humanitarian reasons.
The plan also includes an initial investment of 10 billion new shekels (around three million euros), to which up to 50 billion new shekels in counterpart funds linked to international involvement and payments to the destination countries based on the number of Gazans they accept would be added.
"For years, Israelis were told that there is no solution, that there is no option, and that we must learn to live alongside the threat. I refuse to accept this. The role of leaders is not to explain to society why it cannot be done; their role is to set a goal, create capabilities, and change reality," the minister defended.
The proposal includes different integration measures for applicants, such as housing assistance, access to health systems, education, and employment during the first two years in the host countries. It also suggests prioritizing the departure of family units, the figure of an independent advocate to oversee the voluntariness of the process, and the preparation of monthly reports accompanied by external audits.
Ben Gvir has insisted that the initiative "will allow the citizens of Gaza to lead a life away from terrorist organizations, which seriously affect their quality of life." "The time has come to stop managing the problem. The time has come to solve it," he has pointed out.
"The success of the plan will not be measured by the number of planes that take off, but by the number of people who have a real opportunity for a new life elsewhere and by the number of Israeli children who can grow up without the constant threat of massacres, rockets, and terrorism," he has argued.