Sa'ar: Israel Has No Plans to Forcibly Expel Palestinians from Gaza
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stated that Israel will not forcibly expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, though it would not oppose voluntary emigration. Meanwhile, a pro-Palestinian group filed a symbolic criminal complaint against him in Slovenia.
Amid a campaign promoted by right-wing parties in Israel to encourage voluntary emigration from the Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar clarified on Wednesday that Israel has no plans to expel or forcibly remove Palestinians from the enclave.
Speaking at a joint press conference with the Foreign Minister of Slovenia, Sa'ar was asked whether Israel expects Slovenia's support for a move to remove Palestinians from Gaza. He replied, "We are not planning to deport or remove anyone from the Gaza Strip. Of course not." However, he added that Israel would not oppose voluntary emigration. "If someone wants to emigrate of their own free will, and there is a country willing to accept them, as happens in any conflict zone in the world, we will not oppose it," he said.
According to Sa'ar, "We will not force anyone to leave against their will." He added that if there are Palestinians who wish to leave and countries willing to absorb them, Israel will not stand in their way. "All of this is in accordance with international law, norms, and standards accepted everywhere else in the world," he concluded.
Prior to Sa'ar's visit to Slovenia, which took place on the occasion of the opening of the new Israeli embassy in the country, the pro-Palestinian Belgian organization Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) filed a criminal complaint against him with Slovenian authorities.
The HRF complaint attributes to the Foreign Minister "responsibility for war crimes, acts of genocide, and torture during the war in the Gaza Strip." The organization further claimed that Sa'ar, as a member of the security cabinet and having served as a minister without portfolio and subsequently as foreign minister, was involved in formulating, approving, and publicly defending Israeli policies regarding the fighting in Gaza.
These are claims made by the organization, and there is no indication that Slovenian authorities are taking action on them. In any case, a sitting foreign minister generally enjoys broad personal immunity under international law during their term of office.
