In a joint appearance at the White House on Thursday evening, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump said they are working closely to advance a plan that would give Gazans the option to voluntarily relocate abroad — something both framed as a matter of “free choice.”
“It’s called free choice — if people want to stay, they can stay; but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday evening while seated next to former U.S. President Donald Trump at a White House dinner, praising Trump’s plan to facilitate voluntary migration for Gazans as the two leaders signaled a growing consensus between Jerusalem and Washington.
Fielding questions before the dinner, Trump was asked whether his Gaza relocation plan — first floated last year amid the Israel-Hamas war — was still being pursued. “I think President Trump had a brilliant vision,” Netanyahu responded, adding that Israel and the United States are “getting close to finding several countries” that would accept Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
“We’re working with the United States very closely [to] find countries that will … give the Palestinians a better future,” Netanyahu continued, framing the proposal as one that would offer Gazans the opportunity to leave what he called a “prison” and instead live freely elsewhere.
Trump noted that he’s had “great cooperation” from “surrounding countries” regarding the emigration plan, adding confidently: “Something good will happen.”
The Israeli government has increasingly embraced the idea of “voluntary migration” from Gaza, with senior officials touting it as both humane and strategic in light of the region’s instability and the continued presence of Iranian-backed Hamas. Thursday night’s remarks mark the clearest public alignment to date between Trump and Netanyahu on the matter.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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