Egypt and Saudi Arabia condemn Israeli plan for Palestinian "voluntary" relocation

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have strongly denounced Israel’s decision to establish an agency aimed at facilitating the “voluntary” relocation of Palestinians from Gaza, according to ABC News.

The Israeli Defense Ministry proposed the agency, which received government approval over the weekend. Reports also indicate that thirteen new Jewish settlements in the West Bank were approved alongside the plan.

"We are working by all means to implement the vision of the U.S. president, and we will allow any Gaza resident who wishes to voluntarily move to a third country to do so," stated Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia, both supporting an Egyptian-led initiative to rebuild Gaza without displacing its residents, swiftly criticized the move.

“Leaving while under fire from strikes and war, with the blockade preventing humanitarian aid and starvation used as a weapon, constitutes forced displacement — a crime and a violation of international law and international humanitarian law,” declared Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs echoed this condemnation in a statement on X, formerly Twitter: "The Kingdom reiterates its firm rejection of Israel’s continuous violations of international law and international humanitarian law."

The plan aligns with a proposal backed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, envisioning the removal of Palestinians from Gaza to make way for a “Riviera in the Mediterranean” under U.S. control. He has threatened to withhold billions of dollars in aid to Egypt and Jordan if both countries refuse to take in Palestinians from Gaza.