Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, is flogging a dead horse.

Ben Gvir, the leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit Party, is trying to revive a dangerous idea that has no chance of being implemented and, furthermore, would bring the wrath of the region and the international community on Israel.

On September 3, he announced a plan to expel the Palestinian Arab inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. The supposedly voluntary scheme is contingent on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition winning the general election on October 27.

Ben Gvir said he would not rejoin the government unless Netanyahu agrees to establish a dedicated ministry, to be known as the Emigration Ministry, that would be in charge of facilitating the “voluntary emigration” of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents.

Under his proposal, 250,000 Gazans would leave within the first year. Virtually all the rest would depart within the next seven years. It would require an initial investment by Israel of $3 billion and up to $15 billion in matching funds from international donors/partners.

Emigrants would receive an “absorption package” that would cover much of their cost of travel, housing, vocational training and employment for up to two years. Payments to host countries would be based on the number of Gazans they admit. Potential destinations could be........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)