Mossad Chief Seeks U.S. Aid in Relocating Gazans; Ethiopia, Indonesia, Libya Reportedly Considered

Mossad Chief David Barnea recently visited Washington to seek U.S. assistance in a controversial plan to encourage other nations to accept large numbers of Palestinians from Gaza, Axios reported Friday.

Sources with knowledge of the matter indicated to the news outlet that Barnea specifically approached White House envoy Steve Witkoff this week, naming Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya as countries that have shown openness to the idea.

While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s administration characterizes such a move as “voluntary,” both U.S. and Israeli legal experts have reportedly deemed it a war crime.

According to two sources, Barnea informed Witkoff that the aforementioned countries had expressed a willingness to receive a substantial number of Palestinians displaced from Gaza. Barnea reportedly suggested that the U.S. offer incentives to these nations and help persuade them.

However, Witkoff’s response was non-committal, and it remains uncertain whether the U.S. will actively engage with this issue, one source noted.

Requests for comment sent to the White House, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, and the foreign ministries of Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya did not receive a response prior to publication.

This development follows a proposal in February by then-President Trump for the removal of all two million Palestinians from Gaza to facilitate the enclave’s reconstruction.

However, the White House reportedly distanced itself from the idea after facing significant opposition from Arab countries, and the plan has not progressed.

Israeli officials state that the Trump administration conveyed that if Netanyahu wished to pursue this concept, Israel would need to identify countries willing to accept Palestinians from Gaza. Therefore, Netanyahu tasked Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence agency with this responsibility.

During Netanyahu’s visit to the White House last week, when questioned on the matter, Trump deferred to the Israeli Prime Minister.
“I think President Trump had a brilliant vision. It’s called free choice. You know, if people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. It shouldn’t be a prison,” Netanyahu stated, adding that Israel is working “very closely” with the U.S. to find countries that will agree to accept Palestinians from Gaza, and that “we are getting close to finding several countries.”