PM Netanyahu says Gazans have 'no homes to return to' due war damage, says no plans for Israeli settlement

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Sunday, once again, explaining the need to find alternative countries for Palestinians in Gaza to emigrate to.

“We are demolishing more and more houses; they have nowhere to go back,” Netanyahu said. “The only obvious result will be the desire of the Gazans to emigrate out of the Gaza Strip.”

Recent images from the Gaza Strip reveal widespread devastation, with nearly 70% of residential buildings destroyed beyond repair.

Netanyahu also told the committee that the main bottleneck to voluntary emigration is the limited number of countries willing to accept Palestinian evacuees.

“Our main problem is in the receiving countries,” he noted. 

The prime minister also rejected any plan to transfer control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority (PA), as was proposed by several Arab states, including Egypt's proposal, discussed with the Arab League in March. 

“Hamas uses terror, and the PA wants to eliminate Israel in stages,” Netanyahu said. 

“They educate their children with the same textbooks,” he continued, referring to textbooks with content that incites Palestinian children to hate Jews and commit acts of terror against Israel.

“To put these [Palestinian Authority] instead of those [Hamas]? What will we do? We will give power to those who want to destroy us?” he asked, before stating, “We will continue to maintain military security control.” 

Regarding the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza, Netanyahu explained it would be dependent upon Palestinians in Gaza not returning to Hamas-controlled areas.

Because Hamas is embedded in many civilian areas, delivering aid there risks the group seizing it from Palestinian civilians, Netanyahu explained.

His remarks appeared to contradict previous statements by Israeli military and COGAT officials, who proposed that family representatives would come to the distribution centers after going through a security check and then return to their families. 

Regarding the issue of Jewish settlement in Gaza after the war, Netanyahu reaffirmed that the government has no plans for such a move, saying the United States is still interested in taking control of the territory, as U.S. President Donald Trump stated in his meeting with Netanyahu in February. 

In that meeting, Trump said the U.S. would “take over the Gaza Strip,” assuming responsibility for the reconstruction of the enclave. Trump also said the U.S. would “get rid of the destroyed buildings and create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing.” 

Speaking to the committee, which includes several settlement supporters, Netanyahu was reported as saying, “I know that I will disappoint some people here, but we are not talking about Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip right now.”

In response, Knesset Member Limor Son Har-Melech said Netanyahu should “bring the Jews of the United States, then we’ll get two birds with one stone,” implying that Diaspora Jews from the U.S. could settle in Gaza. 

Netanyahu did not respond to her comment, however, and the discussion moved to other issues, including the subject of Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (West Bank), another issue the settlement parties have been pressuring Netanyahu to address.

According to Israel Hayom, Netanyahu told the committee that Israel will be able to annex 30% of Judea and Samaria in the near future, while granting autonomy to the PA within Areas A and B. 

“But there must be full Israeli security control over the entire territory," Netanyahu said. 

His remarks came amid discussions about Trump’s visit to the Middle East and reports that he would meet with PA President Mahmoud Abbas while in Saudi Arabia.

When asked by an opposition party member about possible tensions between Netanyahu and Trump, which might be exposed in Trump’s meetings in Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu responded, “Remember the words – we don't agree on everything, but nothing will happen that will pose a risk to Israel, and there will be no Palestinian state.” 

This statement appeared to be a response to the reports, first seen in The Media Line, that Trump could announce America's recognition of a Palestinian state while in Saudi Arabia.