![The latest on Israel’s war on Hamas](https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/stsp/to_webp,q_lossy,ret_img/https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/digital-images/org/5bb1b622-08ba-46f4-b2cb-1f8a3cf3069a.jpg)
A far-right Israeli official hit back Tuesday after Washington described his call for the resettlement of Gazans outside of the enclave as “inflammatory and irresponsible.”
“Very appreciative of the United States of America but with all due respect we are not just another star on the American flag,” Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said in a translated post on X, formerly Twitter.
Ben Gvir on Monday declared that Israel’s war with Hamas presents an “opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza,” echoing comments a day earlier by another member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition.
In a rebuttal Tuesday, US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said the US had been “told repeatedly and consistently” by Israel “that such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government,” as officials consider the coastal enclave’s post-war future.
Responding to the US statement, Ben Gvir on Tuesday called the US a “good friend” but said the “emigration of hundreds of thousands from Gaza” will allow Israeli settlers to return and “live in security.”
“The United States is our good friend, but first of all we will do what is good for the State of Israel,” he said.
Some context: Last month, US officials discussed post-war Gaza governance plans with the Palestinian Authority along with regional US allies — making it a key focus as they try to look beyond the immediate conflict.
In the US statement Tuesday, Miller said the State Department had been “clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel.”
“That is the future we seek, in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians, the surrounding region, and the world,” he said.
What the Israeli officials said: Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday called for Palestinian residents to leave Gaza to make way for Israelis who could “make the desert bloom,” Reuters reported. A day later, Ben Gvir expressed his support for resettling Palestinians from Gaza overseas.
CNN’s Jonny Hallam contributed to this report.