Gaza Herald — While Gaza’s population continues to endure siege, bombardment, and displacement, Israel appears to be actively lobbying for international cooperation in relocating Palestinians outside their homeland. A report by Axios uncovers secret talks involving Mossad and U.S. officials to push for third-party nations to absorb those uprooted by war.
The U.S. news outlet Axios reported on Friday, citing informed sources, that the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, visited Washington this week to seek U.S. support for efforts aimed at convincing countries to accept hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
According to Axios, Barnea informed U.S. Middle East envoy Steven Weitecove that Israel has been holding secret talks with Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya to explore the possibility of relocating Palestinians from Gaza to those countries. Barnea reportedly claimed that these governments have shown an initial openness to the idea.
The Israeli official suggested that the U.S. could offer incentives to those countries and help Israel persuade them to move forward with the plan. However, Weitecove did not express a definitive position, and it remains unclear whether the Biden administration intends to intervene on the matter, the sources told Axios.
These developments come in the context of what appears to be an Israeli strategy to forcibly transfer Gaza’s population under the guise of what Israeli officials claim to be “voluntary migration.”
Axios noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the issue during his recent visit to the White House. He stated that Israel is working “closely” with the U.S. to identify countries willing to accept displaced Palestinians from Gaza, emphasizing what he called the need to grant Gazans “freedom of choice” to stay or leave.
Reports suggest that Mossad received a direct order from Netanyahu to search for countries willing to receive large numbers of displaced Palestinians, raising serious concerns among regional and international observers about the potential for mass forced displacement.
Meanwhile, in late May, the U.S. embassy in Tripoli denied reports that the U.S. administration was developing a plan to transfer Palestinians from Gaza to Libya.
Despite mounting pressure, secret negotiations, and efforts to reframe forced displacement as “voluntary,” the Palestinian people have remained steadfast in their attachment to their land. For generations, they have paid the price in blood, exile, and hardship, refusing to surrender their identity or abandon their homeland. No foreign offer, no political scheme, and no coercive strategy can erase the deep-rooted connection between Palestinians and Gaza. Their struggle is not just for survival, but for the right to exist with dignity, on their soil.
