Countries like Ireland 'legally obligated to allow any Gaza resident to enter their territories'
Israel’s defence minister has said countries like Ireland, Spain and Norway are "legally obligated" to take in Palestinians.
It comes as Defence Minister Israel Katz said he has instructed the army to prepare plans for large numbers of Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip in line with US president Donald Trump’s proposal for the war-ravaged territory.
Mr Katz said on Thursday that the plan “will include options for exit at land crossings as well as special arrangements for exit by sea and air”.
He said he welcomed Mr Trump’s “bold plan, which could allow a large population in Gaza to leave for various places in the world”.
Mr Katz did not say whether Palestinians would be able to one day return to Gaza, which has been rendered largely uninhabitable by Israel’s 15-month military campaign against Hamas.
When asked who will take in the Palestinians, Mr Katz said it should be countries who have opposed Israel's military operations in Gaza.
"Countries like Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others, which have levelled accusations and false claims against Israel over its actions in Gaza, are legally obligated to allow any Gaza resident to enter their territories," he said.
"Their hypocrisy will be exposed if they refuse to do so. There are countries like Canada, which has a structured immigration program, that have previously expressed a willingness to accept Gaza residents."
Last year, Ireland, Spain and Norway moved in a joint action to recognise the State of Palestine.
A spokesperson for Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris labelled Mr Katz's comments as "unhelpful and a source of distraction".
Speaking on Thursday, they said: "The priority for Ireland and the international community must remain on ensuring the sustainability of the ceasefire, the release of the hostages, a significant surge in humanitarian aid, the rebuilding of Gaza, and a political process that delivers a two-state solution.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Thomas Byrne, also stressed the need for a process that will deliver a two-state solution.
"There can be no forced displacement of the civilian population of Gaza," Mr Byrne said.
He added: "A massive scale-up of aid into Gaza is a key objective at this juncture. We want to see a return of basic services, and a clear framework under which those displaced can return."
Sinn Féin's spokesperson on foreign affairs Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire said Mr Katz has a "selective view" on which aspects of international law should apply.
“It is the right of the people of Gaza to live in Gaza. It is the actions of the Israeli government that have displaced them, an extreme contravention of international law, said Mr Ó Laoghaire.
“It is Israel who must respect international law, and disavow Donald Trump’s cruel and dystopian proposal to displace millions of people from their homes.” He said the "erasure of Gaza" and displacement of the Palestinian people would be profoundly contrary to international law.
Mr Trump had proposed on Wednesday that most of Gaza’s population be “permanently” resettled elsewhere while the United States rebuilds the territory.
US officials later said the relocation would only be temporary, but Palestinians fear Israel would never allow them to return, deepening and perpetuating a refugee crisis dating back to the establishment of the state.
Mr Trump’s plan was roundly rejected by the Palestinians and much of the international community.
Rights groups said it would amount to forcible displacement in violation of international law.
Marco Rubio, on his first foreign trip as secretary of state, described Mr Trump’s proposal as a “very generous” offer to help with debris removal and reconstruction of the enclave following 15 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.
“In the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere while you’re rebuilding it,” Mr Rubio said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing in Washington that Gaza is “a demolition site” and referenced footage of the devastation.
“The president has made it clear that they need to be temporarily relocated out of Gaza,” she said, calling it currently “an uninhabitable place for human beings” and saying it would be “evil to suggest that people should live in such dire conditions”.
Their comments contradicted Mr Trump, who earlier in the week had said: “If we can get a beautiful area to resettle people, permanently, in nice homes where they can be happy and not be shot and not be killed and not be knifed to death like what’s happening in Gaza.”
He added that he envisioned “long-term” US ownership of a redevelopment of the territory, which sits along the Mediterranean Sea.
In a meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon on Wednesday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military is “prepared to look at all options” for rebuilding Gaza.
“We look forward to working with our allies, our counterparts, both diplomatically and militarily, to look at all options,” Mr Hegseth said.
Mr Netanyahu also reiterated his praise for Trump: “It’s a remarkable idea and I think it should be really pursued. Examined, pursued and done, because I think it will create a different future for everyone.”
- additional reporting from Reuters.
