American media said that Jewish members of Congress met with the Israeli ambassador to Washington to object to the statements of Ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich regarding the displacement of Palestinians.

Axios reported that Jewish members of the US House of Representatives met with Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog to discuss Ben Gvir and Smotrich’s statements, warning that these statements not only harm the efforts made to reach a hostage deal and stop the fighting in Gaza, but they also harm public opinion. America towards Israel.

According to the American website, the meeting held last Thursday included 15 Jewish members belonging to the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives, including those who strongly support Israel, and others who are more critical of the right-wing government in Israel.

The website quoted the Israeli embassy in the United States as saying, “Ambassador Herzog maintains regular contact with members of the US Congress, which allows him to keep them informed of the official policy of the Israeli government, but we do not comment on the content of these private discussions.”

According to "Axios", some representatives revealed the course of the meeting, as Representative Jan Schakowski said that some lawmakers stressed "the necessity of expelling Ben Gvir and Smotrich from the government," while Representative Brad Schneider said that "while the comments of the two ministers were the main focus of the meeting, a whole list of ill-advised statements was presented to members of the Knesset.”

A source familiar with the meeting said that Herzog responded to the concerns of American lawmakers by recalling the statement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stressed that Israel "does not seek to forcefully displace the Palestinians, or reoccupy Gaza."

Three members of the US House of Representatives told Axios that Herzog also stressed that “Ben Gvir and Smotrich are allowed to speak freely, but their statements do not necessarily represent the government’s official position.”

The Israeli Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, said earlier that Israel must take steps to encourage the migration of the majority of Palestinians in Gaza to other countries, while Ben Gvir expressed his support for such a step, saying that it would allow Israel to rebuild Jewish settlements in Gaza. .

In response to these statements, the United Nations expressed “deep concern,” and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stated that “international law prohibits the forcible transfer of persons who are protected within occupied territory, or their deportation from it.”

Source: Axios