![Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's finance minister, during an interview in Tel Aviv, Israel on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. [Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg/ Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GettyImages-2188472565.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
‘For 75% of Gaza’s population, it’s not their homeland,’ Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in an interview with Israeli KAN 11 TV. ‘Do you know what their homeland is? Haifa, Tiberias, Acre, Jaffa,’ he continued. ‘This is a refugee population that has been there… pic.twitter.com/igwrZhIhQ7
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) March 2, 2025
While his remarks were intended to suggest that Gaza’s residents do not belong there, therefore justifying Israel’s Trump-backed plans to expel Palestinians from the besieged Strip, they inadvertently reinforce Palestinian demands for their internationally-recognised right of return—something Israel has long opposed.
READ: Israel’s Smotrich takes credit for delaying release of Palestinian prisoners