Netanyahu Appoints New Spokesman Who Wants Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed a new spokesman who is a proponent of establishing Jewish settlements in Gaza and expelling Palestinians from the territory, Haaretz has reported.

Omer Dostri, who is a regular guest on Israel’s Channel 14, was appointed to the new role on Sunday. He is aligned with the Israeli right and has a history of calling for policies that would result in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza.

“There is no victory over Hamas without three basic conditions: military occupation of the entire Gaza Strip, military and civilian control of the area, and encouragement of voluntary migration of Gazans out of the strip,” Dostri said in January.

While framing the idea of expelling Palestinians as “voluntary migration,” the Israeli military campaign is making Gaza uninhabitable and could give Palestinians no choice but to leave if they have the option. Dostri has suggested Egypt should be offered economic or military aid to agree to the transfer of “Gaza refugees to Sinai, even if only temporarily.”

Dostri has also called for Israel to establish settlements in the areas of Gaza that it currently occupies. “Israel must order the rapid establishment of Israeli settlements in many of the areas it occupies, especially those close to the current border,” Dostri wrote in Makor Rishon.

The Israeli military controls about 26% of Gaza’s territory, including a “buffer zone” that was established along the entire Israel-Gaza border. In these areas, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has demolished most structures and has established some military bases.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed he does not plan on establishing settlements in Gaza, but members of his coalition government and Likud party openly support the idea. Appointing a spokesman who favors settlements in Gaza also signals that the prime minister is aligned with that viewpoint.