Israel negotiates resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza to South Sudan
Photo: If the plan is implemented, people may be resettled in a country that is also affected by war (Getty Images)
Israel is negotiating the possibility of resettling Palestinians from Gaza to South Sudan, according to CNN and the Associated Press.
Six sources have confirmed the negotiations. It is unclear how far they have progressed, but if implemented, these plans would amount to relocating people from one war-torn territory, where they face starvation, to another, raising human rights concerns.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he wanted to implement US President Donald Trump's idea of resettling most of Gaza's population through what Netanyahu calls voluntary migration.
Israel has made similar proposals for relocation to other African countries.
"I think that the right thing to do, even according to the laws of war as I know them, is to allow the population to leave, and then you go in with all your might against the enemy who remains there," Netanyahu told i24 on Tuesday.
However, he did not mention South Sudan.
At the same time, according to CNN, for South Sudan, such an agreement could help strengthen ties with Israel, which is now virtually an unchallenged power in the Middle East.
"It is also a potential inroad to Trump, who broached the idea of resettling Gaza’s population in February but appears to have backed away in recent months," the agency adds.
Meanwhile, the office of Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel said she would travel to South Sudan for meetings as part of the first visit there by a senior government official.
However, she does not plan to raise the issue of resettling Palestinians.
For its part, the South Sudanese Foreign Ministry called reports that the ministry was negotiating with Israel on the resettlement of Palestinians unfounded.
Offensive on Gaza
Israel recently approved a military plan to capture the city of Gaza. However, according to Netanyahu himself, his goal is not to occupy the city, but to liberate it from Hamas.
"Our goal is not to occupy Gaza. Our goal is to free Gaza, free it from Hamas terrorists. The war can end tomorrow if Hamas lays down its arms and releases all the remaining hostages," he said.
