Egypt's FM Comments on Israeli Finance Minister's Remarks on Voluntary Emigration of Gazans

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry commented on Tuesday on the statements of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads one of the religious nationalist parties in Netanyahu's coalition, about the voluntary displacement of the population of Gaza as the most appropriate humanitarian solution.

Shoukry stated that he has observed over the past period a slew of irresponsible statements by officials of the Israeli government, which violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

The Minister affirmed that the remark is an expression of the Israeli government’s policy that violates international laws and added attempts to justify and encourage the displacement of Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip are completely rejected by Egypt and the international community.

Shoukry denounced talk about the displacement process as if it were occurring voluntarily.

He pointed out that the displacement of citizens in Gaza is the result of the deliberate military targeting of civilians in the Strip, intentional siege, and starvation operations aimed at creating conditions that lead citizens to leave their homes and residential areas, in a full-fledged war crime in accordance to the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.

The Minister reiterated Egypt's total rejection of the policies of forced displacement of Palestinians, deliberately withholding humanitarian assistance and essential services to create unsustainable conditions for civilians or allowing the Palestinian cause to be liquidated.

Shoukry added that those who claim to care about the humanitarian situation in Gaza must work to stop the military operations that led to the killing of civilians, including children and women.

The minister stressed that Egypt would continue its efforts to preserve the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to remain on its territory and establish its independent, viable, and contiguous state along the 1967 border with East Jerusalem as its capital.