The United States has strongly rejected the Israeli ministers' statements on the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza and said that the rhetoric is "inflammatory and irresponsible."
The US State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said in a press statement that the US has always been clear on the fact that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain theirs.
"The United States rejects recent statements from Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible," the statement read.
"We have been told repeatedly and consistently by the Government of Israel, including by the Prime Minister, that such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government. They should stop immediately," it added.
He said that the kind of future the US seeks is that in future, no terror groups are able to threaten Israel and Hamas has no control of Gaza.
"We have been clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel. That is the future we seek, in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians, the surrounding region, and the world," Miller said, according to the press statement.
The statement from the US came in response to recent statements of Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who presented the migration of Palestinian civilians as a solution to the long-running conflict and as a prerequisite for securing the stability necessary to allow residents of southern Israel to return to their homes.
According to The Times of Israel, two prominent far-right leaders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government on Monday supported the reconstruction of settlements in the Gaza Strip and the promotion of "voluntary emigration" of Palestinians, while opposition MK Avigdor Liberman, known for his hardline views, demanded that Israel retake southern Lebanon.
They spoke during their parties' respective faction meetings in the Knesset.
The Israel-Gaza conflict offers an "opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza," Ben Gvir told reporters, calling such a policy "a correct, just, moral and humane solution," according to The Times of Israel.
