In Ottawa, countries traditionally allied with Israel are cautioning against any consideration by Israel’s right-wing government to displace residents of the Gaza Strip. This comes as Israeli officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, repeatedly suggest that Canada could potentially accept Palestinians. Smotrich specifically stated that Israel should “encourage migration” of Palestinians from Gaza and reintroduce Israeli settlements in the region.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller has condemned the remarks from Smotrich and Ben Gvir as “inflammatory and irresponsible,” while French President Emmanuel Macron labeled them as “unacceptable.” There are reports that members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party discussed potential countries willing to accept Palestinians from Gaza, with Canada allegedly being mentioned. However, this information has not been independently verified.
Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller denied engaging in any talks about transferring Gazans and emphasized that he has not discussed the so-called ‘voluntary transfer’ of Gazans out of Gaza with any member of the Israeli government. He called such claims “obscene” and stated that anyone suggesting otherwise is not truthful.
Next week, Canada is set to launch a temporary immigration program for the extended family members of Canadians trapped in Gaza. The program aims to offer three-year visas to up to 1,000 Palestinians, provided their family members in Canada are willing to support them during their stay.
During the first month of the recent Israel-Hamas war, there were reports of an Israeli government ministry drafting a proposal to transfer all 2.3 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip into Egypt and resettle them in other countries. The memo specifically mentioned Canada’s “lenient” immigration practices, making it a potential target for resettlement. Israeli officials confirmed the document’s authenticity but stated that the proposal is not government policy.
In November, former deputy director of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, Ram Ben Barak, suggested on Israeli television that for Palestinians, it’s “better to be a refugee in Canada” than to live in Gaza.
University of Ottawa professor Thomas Juneau characterized the recent statements by Smotrich and Ben Gvir as “openly advocating for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.” Last month, the United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Paula Gaviria Betancur, warned that Israel appears to be seeking a permanent alteration of Gaza’s population.
Israel’s government spokesman Eylon Levy responded to these concerns, stating that Israel had asked Palestinians to move to a humanitarian zone within the Gaza Strip to protect them in areas where Hamas is not already using them as human shields.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas began in October when Hamas militants stormed southern Israel, resulting in an estimated 1,200 casualties and about 240 hostages. Since then, Gaza has faced almost constant bombardment, with local officials reporting over 22,300 people killed in Israel’s military response.