We are not another star in American flag: Itamar Ben Gvir

TEL AVIV: Israel's National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, dismissed the US State Department's condemnation of his statement for urging Palestinians in Gaza to be resettled outside the strip on Tuesday, The Times of Israel reported.

"I really admire the United States of America but with all due respect, we are not another star in the American flag," Ben Gvir, who heads the ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party, said in a statement.

He added, "The United States is our best friend but before everything else, we will do what is good for the State of Israel: The emigration of hundreds of thousands from Gaza will allow residents [of the border area] to return home and live in security and protect IDF soldiers."

Earlier, the United States strongly rejected the Israeli ministers' statements on the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza and said that the rhetoric is "inflammatory and irresponsible."

The US State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said in a press statement that the US has always been clear on the fact that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain theirs.

"The United States rejects recent statements from Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible," the statement read.

"We have been told repeatedly and consistently by the Government of Israel, including by the Prime Minister, that such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government. They should stop immediately," it added.

He said that the kind of future the US seeks is that in the future, no terror groups can threaten Israel and Hamas has no control of Gaza.

"We have been clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel. That is the future we seek, in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians, the surrounding region, and the world," Miller said, according to the press statement.

The statement from the US came in response to recent statements of Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who presented the migration of Palestinian civilians as a solution to the long-running conflict and as a prerequisite for securing the stability necessary to allow residents of southern Israel to return to their homes.

According to The Times of Israel, two prominent far-right leaders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government on Monday supported the reconstruction of settlements in the Gaza Strip and the promotion of "voluntary emigration" of Palestinians, while opposition MK Avigdor Liberman, known for his hardline views, demanded that Israel retake southern Lebanon.

They spoke during their parties' respective faction meetings in the Knesset.

The Israel-Gaza conflict offers an "opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza," Ben Gvir told reporters, calling such a policy "a correct, just, moral and humane solution," according to The Times of Israel.

"We cannot withdraw from any territory we are in in the Gaza Strip. Not only do I not rule out Jewish settlement there, I believe it is also an important thing," Gvir said.

Meanwhile, Smotrich told members of his party and the Knesset that the "correct solution" to the ongoing Gaza conflict is "to encourage the voluntary migration of Gaza's residents to countries that will agree to take in the refugees.

"Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the international community have strongly opposed the "resettlement" of Palestinians from Gaza, a demand made by several parliamentarians, including cabinet members.

The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.

Israel, since the war began, has characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas' infrastructure to eliminate the entire terror group while making efforts to minimise civilian casualties.

Reportedly, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claimed that over 20,000 people have been killed in the Strip during the war, an unverified figure that also does not differentiate between combatants and civilians and does not take into account those killed as a consequence of terror groups' own rocket misfires.

Whereas, recently, the Israeli forces identified several launches from Lebanon towards the area of Adamit in northern Israel on Monday. According to Israeli assessments, troops have killed some 8,500 terror operatives since the war began.

Moreover, another 1,000 Hamas terrorists were killed in Israel on or in the days after the October 7 attack.