Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the promotion of voluntary emigration from Gaza “the most moral and humane thing to do,” voicing strong support for President Donald Trump’s plan to revitalize the battered region along the Mediterranean coast.
During remarks at the JNS International Policy Summit in Yerushalayim, Sa’ar insisted that Palestinians must be viewed “as human beings” rather than “weapons against Israel,” saying they deserve the same emigration rights granted to those fleeing war-torn nations elsewhere.
Sa’ar pointed out that two conditions must be met: individuals must willingly choose to emigrate, and another country must be ready to receive them.
“First,” he stated, a person or a family must want to emigrate of their own “free will and free choice,” as anyone from Syria, Afghanistan, or elsewhere is entitled to do.
“The second condition,” he added, is that a state must be willing to accept them “on the other side.”
If both criteria are satisfied, Sa’ar said, encouraging Gazans to relocate becomes “the most moral and humane thing to do.”
Sa’ar praised the relationship between Israel and its “very good partner in Washington,” explaining that many nations have long “use[d] the Palestinians — weaponize[d] them — against the State of Israel,” blocking Gazans’ ability to pursue new futures.
His comments come amid growing momentum behind President Trump’s strategy to reimagine Gaza’s waterfront as an economic engine, offering residents an opportunity to resettle and rebuild their lives.
At the same time, Israel continues its military campaign against Hamas after the October 7, 2023 attack — the deadliest act of terror in the country’s history — when Hamas terrorists invaded Israeli towns, murdering concertgoers and civilians, carrying out mass rapes, tortures, killings, and kidnappings.
In February, President Trump introduced his plan for Gaza alongside Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, unveiling a groundbreaking U.S. approach that prioritizes resettlement and reconstruction to foster peace and prosperity.
Israel subsequently announced the creation of a new division, led by Defense Minister Israel Katz, tasked with overseeing the voluntary emigration process — an initiative that fully supports President Trump’s broader regional goals.
“I welcome President Trump’s bold initiative,” Katz stated, calling the relocation plan a historic chance for Gazans to find hope elsewhere while strengthening Israel’s security.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel’s renewed military operations in Gaza are partly aimed at creating conditions that will enable voluntary emigration, with Hamas refusing to budge during hostage negotiations.
Breitbart News has previously highlighted that President Trump’s Gaza plan has been well received by many civilians. Surveys from the Center for Peace Communications show a considerable number of Gazans are eager to leave the devastated area and start anew abroad.
For the United States, facilitating Gaza’s depopulation could ease regional tensions, erode Hamas’s influence, reduce the burden of humanitarian assistance, and encourage Arab nations to take a more active role in the region’s stabilization.
Earlier this month, during a joint public appearance with Netanyahu at the White House, President Trump reaffirmed his vision of Gaza transforming into a “freedom zone,” free from violence and terror.
“If you take the people — the Palestinians — and move them around to different countries, and you have plenty of countries that will do that, you really have a ‘freedom zone,’ a free zone where people aren’t going to be killed every day,” Trump said, adding that Gaza had long been synonymous with “killing and Hamas and problems.”
Netanyahu endorsed President Trump’s proposal, saying: “What the president is talking about is [to] give people a choice. Gazans were closed in… People could leave [in other war zones]. What is wrong with giving people a choice?”
Meanwhile, a senior Israeli official revealed that several countries have stepped forward offering to absorb Gazan emigrants, with serious diplomatic groundwork already underway to make President Trump’s vision a reality.
Recent polls show that more than half of Gaza’s population would willingly relocate if given the opportunity, adding new energy to President Trump’s concept of voluntary resettlement and Gaza’s postwar redevelopment.
{Matzav.com Israel}