Israel says it is in talks with several countries about taking in displaced Palestinians

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says talks are underway with several countries about taking in Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza.

The countries involved are South Sudan, Somaliland, Ethiopia, Libya, and Indonesia, a senior Israeli official told CNN. In exchange for taking in some of Gaza’s population of more than two million people, the official said the countries are looking for “significant financial and international compensation.”

On Wednesday, South Sudan rejected an Associated Press report that it was in discussions about the resettlement of Palestinians, saying in a statement the reports were “baseless and do not reflect the official position” of the country. Earlier this year, Somaliland also said there were no such talks.

And last week, Indonesia said it was ready to take in 2,000 Palestinians from Gaza for treatment but that they would return to Gaza once they recovered.

It’s unclear how advanced any of these discussions are and whether they are likely to come to fruition.

Netanyahu has never given a detailed vision of what will happen to Gaza after the war but has repeatedly advocated for resettling displaced Palestinians in other countries, particularly after President Donald Trump floated the idea early this year. But even as Trump appears to be cooling on the proposal, Israeli officials have embraced it.

In an interview published on Tuesday, Netanyahu said, “we are talking to several countries” without naming them.

Netanyahu claimed in the interview with Israeli network i24 that the plan was “not pushing out” Palestinians but would instead be “allowing them to leave.”

“All those who say they’re concerned for the Palestinians and want to help Palestinians,” Netanyahu said should “open their doors.”

“Why are they coming and preaching to us?! Open your doors,” he added.

The comments come as international alarm grows over Israel’s stated plan to take over Gaza City, home to more than one million Palestinians, including many already displaced by the war.

The densely populated city has continued to be hit by Israeli strikes with at least 123 people killed over the last 24 hours across Gaza, according to a tally on Wednesday from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

More than 100 humanitarian organisations meanwhile called on Israel to end what they called the weaponization of aid in Gaza, saying vital relief was not being allowed in while the territory is gripped by starvation.

Shaina Low, Communications Adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said any plans to relocate Palestinians, whether within Gaza or to foreign countries, was “a non-starter.”

“They aren’t acceptable under international law. They aren’t acceptable to Palestinians. And they should not be acceptable to the international community,” Low told CNN.

A ‘Greater Israel’

During the interview, Netanyahu was also asked by i24News network anchor Sharon Gal whether the prime minister “connects” to the vision of a “Greater Israel,” to which he responded, “Very much.”

The term “Greater Israel” refers to a state of Israel that is beyond the borders that exist today. It is also often used as a reference to Biblical Israel, which would include parts of today’s Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

The comments were greeted by sharp statements from several Arab states, which condemned the use of the term as provocative and counterproductive to peace.

Egypt “demanded clarifications” on the use of the term, “given its implications of provoking instability and reflecting a rejection of the pursuit of peace in the region, as well as an insistence on escalation,” according to a foreign ministry statement.

Saudi Arabia said it “expresses its outright rejection of the settlement and expansionist plans adopted by the Israeli occupation authorities.”

Qatar said the use of the term is considered “an extension of the occupation’s approach based on arrogance, fuelling crises and conflicts, and blatantly infringing the sovereignty of states.”

Gal and Netanyahu’s conversation about “Greater Israel” did not appear on the official channel’s full interview, but a longer version with Netanyahu’s comments was posted on Gal’s account on X.

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