The United States has made a rare public statement of disagreement with Israel by rejecting calls from top Israeli officials to depopulate Gaza. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz characterized the removal of Palestinians from the territory as the only viable solution to the ongoing crisis. In response, a US State Department spokesperson reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, which was established following a ceasefire agreement last year.
The State Department explicitly cited Point 12 of Trump’s plan, which states that no one will be forced to leave Gaza and those wishing to depart will be permitted to do so with the freedom to return. The department further clarified that the United States does not support any plan involving forced displacement, expulsion, or mandatory transfer of Gaza’s population. Katz suggested that Trump had merely frozen, rather than cancelled, support for the depopulation proposal, characterizing the removal of Palestinians as necessary migration. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made similar statements, using the term emigration to describe the proposed removal of Palestinians.
The depopulation proposal has drawn strong opposition from Arab nations and human rights advocates, who characterize such measures as ethnic cleansing. Arab states, including some aligned with the United States, have forcefully rejected any effort to remove Palestinians from their land. The latest statements from Israeli officials represent a complication in ongoing peace negotiations, as the State Department emphasized that any movement must remain strictly voluntary and that the focus should remain on demilitarization, stabilization, and redevelopment of Gaza.
Progress on Trump’s ceasefire plan has been limited despite agreements reached last October by both Hamas and Israel. US envoy Jared Kushner met with Hamas officials and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the crisis, though continued Israeli bombardment of Gaza has persisted since the ceasefire agreement. The State Department indicated that its commitment extends to establishing dialogue between Israel and Palestinians regarding peaceful and prosperous coexistence as outlined in Point 20 of the peace plan.
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