Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would pursue a policy of “encouraging the migration” of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported.
“We will eliminate the idea of an Arab terror state,” said Smotrich, speaking at an event organised by his Religious Zionism Party.
“We will finally, formally, and in practical terms nullify the cursed Oslo Accords and embark on a path toward sovereignty, while encouraging emigration from both Gaza and Judea and Samaria.
“There is no other long-term solution,” added Smotrich, who himself lives in a settlement in the West Bank.
Since last week, Israel has approved a series of measures backed by far-right ministers to tighten control over the West Bank, including in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords, in place since the 1990s.
The measures include a process to register land in the West Bank as “state property” and facilitate direct purchases of land by Jewish Israelis.
The measures have triggered widespread international outrage.
On Tuesday, the UN missions of 85 countries condemned the measures, which critics say amount to de facto annexation of the Palestinian territory.
“We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful presence in the West Bank,” they said in a statement.
“Such decisions are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed.
Source: Insider Paper
