Exploring Likud Party’s Legislation to Encourage Gaza Residents to Relocate Abroad with Financial Rewards”
Watan-Recent media reports have disclosed recurring Israeli plans to displace and relocate Gaza inhabitants to other countries in exchange for financial incentives. The latest proposal comes from Likud party member Moshe Bassal, a member of the Knesset.
Simultaneously with Israel’s fierce war against the Gaza Strip, Bassal introduced a legislative initiative aimed at promoting the emigration of Gazans to nations willing to accept them, offering financial rewards to those who apply to leave for another country.
According to the proposed law, a Gazan who agrees to be relocated would receive $6,000, while the receiving country would be granted $10,000. This information was reported by the Hebrew website “shakuf.”
However, the project does not specify whether the relocation is permanent, and it remains unclear if those relocated would be allowed to return to Gaza at the end of the conflict.
مقابل مبالغ مالية.. مشروع قانون أمام الكنيست يهدف إلى تشجيع هجرة الغزيين إلى دول أخرى#رقمي #حرب_غزة pic.twitter.com/8pfENee9iS
— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) December 5, 2023
Explanatory Memorandum for Gaza Residents’ Relocation Project
According to media reports, the explanatory memorandum for the proposed law states: “In order to assist refugees in the Gaza Strip in transitioning to a suitable location, the Israeli government suggests allowing it to enter into agreements with other countries to accept residents from Gaza and provide them with a financial amount to help them integrate into the receiving country in the best possible way.”
Gaza Residents’ Relocation Schemes Not New
It appears that Israel’s plans to depopulate Gaza are not a new development, as discussions about relocating the inhabitants of the region have recurred several times in recent years.
In 2019, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed a secret initiative to relocate Gazans to three countries: Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar.
According to the “Israel Hayom” newspaper, Mossad contacted the three countries, proposing the possibility of accepting Gazans for a period of at least three years, with an Israeli promise to maintain their right to return to the Gaza Strip.
However, the plan stalled after the rejection of the three countries. Last month, two members of the Knesset published an article in the “Wall Street Journal,” suggesting a collective plan to relocate Gaza residents to countries willing to receive them.
The plan received support from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich but faced harsh criticism from Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
At that time, Shoukry stated, “I don’t think we will talk to Israel or any party that suggests such a ridiculous proposal. If that’s the case, America might also consider providing the same accessibility to its southern borders that we are expected to provide in Sinai.
