Israeli Minister Idit Silman of Netanyahu’s Likud party said on Tuesday the “only solution for the Gaza Strip is to empty it of Gazans” and called the move “realistic.”
In an interview with Reshet Bet public radio, Environmental Protection Minister Silman said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is “committed to the idea of encouraging emigration” and added that she believes “God has sent us the U.S. administration, and it is clearly telling us – it’s time to inherit the land.”
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“Gush Katif will return, there’s no question about it,” Silman said, referring to the Jewish settlement in Gaza. “It could be in single-family homes or Trump-style towers, but we will definitely go back there. I see no other solution to terrorism. The answer to terrorism is sovereignty.”
People walk along Gaza’s coastal al-Rashid Street to cross the Netzarim corridor from the southern Gaza Strip into the north.Credit: AFP/OMAR AL-QATTAA
Regarding the release of hostages held by Hamas, Silman said the government is “acting in many ways, though not everything can be discussed. There are many options on the table – whether it’s extending the first stage, setting our conditions for moving to a second stage that ends the war and brings back the hostages but without Hamas, or the option of resuming the fighting.”
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump rejected a proposal from Arab states concerning Gaza’s reconstruction.
The plan “does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance,” U.S. National Security Spokesperson Brian Hughes said.
Hughes added that “President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas” and that the U.S. looks “forward to further talks to bring peace and prosperity to the region.”
In late January, at a press conference with Netanyahu at the White House, Trump announced that he would pursue a plan where the U.S. assumes ownership of Gaza after calling for the permanent displacement of the Strip’s residents.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we’ll do a good job with it too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, leveling the area, getting rid of the destroyed buildings, and creating economic development that will provide unlimited jobs and housing for the people of the area,” he said.
He has since doubled down on his remarks, calling for displacement and stating that the U.S. would formally assume control of Gaza from Israel “at the conclusion of the fighting.”