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Israeli far-right minister pushes forced transfer of Palestinians from West Bank, Gaza
Bezalel Smotrich calls for encouraging Palestinian 'emigration' and scrapping the Oslo Accords, as new settlement steps spark global condemnation.
Israeli far-right minister pushes forced transfer of Palestinians from West Bank, Gaza
Palestinians wait, as Israeli soldiers stand guard during a weekly settlers' tour in the occupied West Bank, January 31, 2026 (FILE) / Reuters
February 18, 2026

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would pursue a policy of "encouraging the migration" of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Gaza, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.

"We will eliminate the idea of an Arab terror state," said Smotrich, speaking at an event organised by his Religious Zionism Party late on Tuesday.

"We will finally, formally, and in practical terms nullify the cursed Oslo Accords and embark on a path toward sovereignty, while encouraging emigration from both Gaza and Judea and Samaria,” he said, using the Hebrew term for the occupied West Bank.

"There is no other long-term solution," added Smotrich, who himself lives in a settlement in the occupied West Bank.

RelatedTRT World - Israel orders land seizure in northern occupied West Bank, targeting key archaeological site

Since last week, Israel has approved a plan backed by far-right ministers to tighten control over the West Bank and make the occupation permanent in the territory, including in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords, in place since the 1990s.

The measures include a process to register land in the occupied West Bank as "state property" and facilitate direct purchases of land by Jewish Israelis.

The measures have triggered widespread international outrage.

On Tuesday, the UN missions of 85 countries condemned the measures, which critics say amount to the de facto annexation of the Palestinian territory.

"We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel's unlawful presence in the West Bank," they said in a statement.

"Such decisions are contrary to Israel's obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed.

"We underline in this regard our strong opposition to any form of annexation."

RelatedTRT World - Israel's 'land grab' in the occupied West Bank

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called on Israel to reverse its land registration policy, calling it "destabilising" and "unlawful".

The occupied West Bank would form the largest part of any future Palestinian state. Many on Israel's far-right view it as Israeli land.

Israeli NGOs have also raised the alarm over a settlement plan signed by the government, which they say would mark the first expansion of Jerusalem's borders into the occupied West Bank since 1967.

The planned development, announced by Israel's Ministry of Construction and Housing, is formally a westward expansion of the Geva Binyamin, or Adam, illegal settlement situated northeast of Jerusalem in the West Bank.

The current Israeli government has fast-tracked settlement expansion, approving a record 52 settlements in 2025.

Excluding Israeli-occupied east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law.

Around three million Palestinians live in the territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

RelatedTRT World - Israel accused of expanding Jerusalem borders for first time since 1967
SOURCE:AFP
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