U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told reporters on Saturday that there is no plan underway to force Palestinians out of Gaza, following Israel's government proposal on relocation plans for people in Gaza.
“I can tell you categorically there is no plan of the Israelis to displace people out of Gaza against their will,” Huckabee told reporters on Saturday while visiting Palestinian Americans in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Around three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, with tens of thousands estimated to hold U.S. citizenship.
Huckabee said that “nobody” was proposing their forced displacement: “The Israelis are not. The Americans are certainly not. I know of no one who supports that.”
Huckabee met with Palestinian Americans, including relatives of U.S. citizens killed by Israeli settlers, in Turmus Ayya on Saturday.
At least six Palestinian Americans have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers since 2024.
At the meeting he told the Palestinian Americans that the U.S. embassy had no power or authority to take direct action, but could seek to influence events and draw attention to issues.
His comments came after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir proposed a plan that would see 250,000 Palestinians leave Gaza in the first year, followed by the remaining population over the next six years through what he described as “voluntary emigration”.
Huckabee said U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration supported giving Palestinians the option to leave Gaza voluntarily, arguing that they should not be prevented from doing so.
“There is an open-mindedness if people wish to leave, that they should have the right to leave,” Huckabee said, describing it as a “disgrace” to “incarcerate” Palestinians in Gaza.
Trump sparked international controversy early in his second term by proposing that Palestinians be temporarily relocated from Gaza and that the territory be redeveloped as a luxury resort.
He later softened the proposal following opposition from countries including Egypt, which borders Gaza.
Virtually Gaza’s entire population has been displaced internally during Israel’s military offensive, which began following the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.
Far-right Israeli politicians have also called for the return of Israeli settlers to Gaza, where Israel dismantled its settlements in 2005 as part of a unilateral withdrawal.
The debate over Gaza’s future comes ahead of Israel’s 27 October elections, with polls showing a close race involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government includes several far-right figures.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on efforts to end t...
U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told reporters on Saturday that there is no plan underway to force Palestinians out of Gaza, following Isra...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar wi...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 4th of September, covering the latest developments.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on efforts to end the Ukraine war.
A Chinese national was pulled alive from a tunnel in Nepal on Saturday, authorities said, 10 days after a wall of ice, rock and mud tore through a Himalayan valley, killing more than 1,300 people and leaving more than 5,600 missing.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Spanish authorities are preparing a new site in Ceuta to accommodate hundreds of migrants who remain on the streets following large-scale arrivals in July, local media reported Saturday.
At least two people were killed and dozens injured on Friday after an explosion at a military barracks in the Bolivian municipality of Viacha, about 30 km (20 miles) from La Paz, Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano said.
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