Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Friday to reprimand the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, after Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder reportedly warned about potential security risks posed by US President Donald Trump’s plan to take over the Gaza Strip and displace its population.
On Thursday evening Channel 13 news reported that during an assessment of Trump’s plan to move Gazans out of the Strip for it to be rebuilt, Binder said that the move — overwhelmingly rejected by Palestinians and the Arab world — could result in an escalation of violence in the West Bank. According to the report, he warned specifically about the upcoming holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which tends to be a volatile time of year.
The report added that Binder did not express any sentiment against Trump’s plans, but rather only warned about the potential consequences and urged preparations for such a scenario.
But Katz apparently viewed matters differently.
“There will be no reality in which IDF officers speak out against US President Trump’s important plan regarding Gaza, and against the directives of the political echelon,” Katz said in a statement.
“I ordered the IDF to prepare to advance the plan for the voluntary departure of Gaza residents who would be interested in leaving to various places in the world, and that is exactly what the IDF is required to do and will do,” the defense minister added, even though the military hasn’t been reported to be pushing back against that instruction.
Katz has repeatedly been clashing with the IDF, especially its outgoing chief Halevi, in recent weeks.
In a statement Thursday, Katz welcomed Trump’s “courageous plan, which could enable a wide swath of the population in Gaza to leave to various places around the world.”
He said he had ordered the military to prepare a plan by which any resident who wants to can emigrate to any nation willing to take them in. The plan would provide for exits through land crossings, as well as “special arrangements” for departure via maritime and aerial routes, he said.
“Gaza’s residents should be allowed the freedom to exit and emigrate, as is the practice anywhere around the world,” Katz suggested, adding that Trump’s plan could advance “rehabilitation plans in a demilitarized Gaza that poses no threat in the post-Hamas era, which will take many years.”
Taking aim at countries critical of Israel throughout the war, Katz suggested potential destinations such as Spain, Ireland, Norway and other countries that have leveled “false accusations” against Israel, saying those nations would be “legally obligated” to consent and arguing that if they refuse to accept Palestinians, “their hypocrisy will be exposed.”
Spain and Ireland rejected that notion later Thursday.
Trump’s bombshell proposal, which was scant on details, sent shockwaves through much of the world on Tuesday, including among many in his own Republican party, and reports suggested he had kept it secret and not discussed it with most senior administration officials.
By Wednesday, several top US officials sought to walk back some aspects of Trump’s comments, saying the removal would only be temporary, though Trump had said he hoped Gazans “wouldn’t want to return” to Gaza if they were set up in new homes elsewhere in the world.
On Thursday, Trump said his plan envisions Israel handing control of Gaza to the US when the fighting ends, adding that the reconstruction wouldn’t require American troops to enter the Strip.
Netanyahu himself was reportedly told about the plan by Trump just shortly before their Tuesday press conference. But he has since seemed to embrace it in public comments.