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Israel's Defense Minister has clarified Donald Trump's shocking statements, made at the White House on Tuesday during his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, regarding the deportation of Palestinians from Gaza. Israel Katz acknowledged the existence of plans to relocate Gazans to other countries but did not mention Morocco, contrary to reports by Israeli media and claims relayed by an Israeli consul general. Claims that he refuted later. This version was uncritically repeated by several Moroccan websites. Algerian media were quick to draw their own conclusions.
«I have instructed the IDF to prepare a plan that will allow any resident of Gaza who wishes to leave to do so, to any country willing to receive them», Katz wrote on X. «The plan will include exit options via land crossings, as well as special arrangements for departure by sea and air», he added.
Katz also took the opportunity to settle old scores with «countries such as Spain, Ireland, Norway, and others» that have condemned Israeli aggression in Gaza and recognized the State of Palestine. «They are legally obligated to allow Gazans to enter their territory. Their hypocrisy will be exposed if they refuse». He concluded his message in a falsely humanist tone, emphasizing that «the people of Gaza should have the right to freedom of movement and migration, as is customary everywhere in the world».
Israeli media fuels rumors about Morocco
On Wednesday, the Jerusalem Post and the N12 television channel cited Morocco as a potential destination for Palestinians expelled from Gaza, alongside Puntland (an autonomous Somali territory) and Somaliland (a self-declared republic in Somalia). Their source: an obscure American report never mentioned by Donald Trump.
«These three countries share a strong need for American support. While Somaliland and Puntland seek international recognition, Morocco faces a territorial dispute over Western Sahara», the reports stated.
This is not the first time Morocco has been mentioned as a possible destination for displaced Palestinians. Last week, a reader of The Washington Times suggested in a letter to the editor that Gazans be expelled to Western Sahara.
«President Trump’s idea of relocating Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt is a bad idea. Choose more wisely. Perhaps these people could be resettled in the Spanish Sahara, which is a no-man’s land along the Atlantic Coast between Morocco on the northern side and Mauritania on the south», reads the letter.
Beyond the logistical nightmare—moving over two million Gazans by sea or air—the humanitarian risks and security challenges make such a deportation to Morocco, Puntland, or Somaliland a violation of international law. Moreover, neighboring countries cited by Trump, including Egypt and Jordan, have already rejected the American proposal.
