The Biden administration said Tuesday that Israeli officials who suggested the possibility of relocating Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip were “irresponsible.”
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday that Palestinians are leaving Gaza as Israel plans to maintain temporary security in the area even after the war with Hamas ends. He suggested that there is a possibility of embarking on “voluntary migration.'' according to In the Times of Israel.Biden administration replied On Tuesday, he called the remarks “inflammatory” and insisted that Gaza “remains Palestinian land.” (Related article: “This conversation is over”: Biden reportedly hangs up with Prime Minister Netanyahu after heated phone conversation)
The United States rejects the inflammatory and irresponsible statements of Israeli Ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir. There must be no mass evacuation of Palestinians from Gaza.
— Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) January 2, 2024
“This statement is inflammatory and irresponsible,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement Tuesday. “We have been repeatedly and consistently told by the Israeli government, including the prime minister, that such statements do not reflect Israeli government policy. They should stop immediately.”
“We have been clear, consistent and unequivocally asserting that Gaza is and will remain Palestinian land,” Miller said. “That is the future we seek for the benefit of Israelis and Palestinians, our neighbors and the world.”
Gvir answered On Tuesday, Israel said it respects the United States and calls it its “best friend,” but that it must do what is best for its people because it is “not just another star on the Star-Spangled Banner.”
Relations between the Biden administration and Israeli leadership have become increasingly strained amid disagreements over how Israel should carry out its counterattack in Gaza and what should happen in the region once the war ends. There is. The Biden administration has insisted that the Palestinian Authority maintain control of Gaza, an idea rejected by Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden have disagreed on several issues for decades, with Biden recently telling Netanyahu that he “absolutely” disagrees with what he has to say. I remembered the story I had actually told. according to to Reuters. Most recently, in December, the two sides had a heated discussion on the phone about the Palestinian Authority, with Biden ultimately telling Netanyahu that “the conversation is over” and abruptly hanging up.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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