“Voluntary migration” from Gaza remains on the table, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday night, while he declined to rule out renewed Jewish settlement in the Strip.
Speaking in a special interview with The Patriots on Channel 14, Netanyahu was asked by panelists about two issues that have become central to the Right flank of his coalition: whether “voluntary migration” of Gaza residents was still being pursued, and whether Israel could reestablish Jewish communities in the Strip.
Channel 14 is a right-leaning Israeli television channel whose programming is popular among Netanyahu’s political base. The Patriots, hosted by Yinon Magal, is one of its flagship political panel shows.
When asked whether migration was still on the agenda, Netanyahu clarified: “Voluntary migration.”
He was then asked about Jewish settlement in Gaza, especially in light of recent comments by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that preparations were being made for the establishment of settlements. Netanyahu had previously said that rebuilding Jewish settlements in Gaza was an unrealistic goal.
This time, Netanyahu avoided a direct answer.
“The question is whether you prefer to do or to talk,” he said. “And yes, I prefer not to address it.”
Netanyahu: Navigate diplomatic policy 'with force'
The answer did not amount to an official policy announcement, but it was politically significant because Netanyahu chose not to publicly rule out the option. It came as ministers and activists on the Right have increasingly argued that Israel must permanently change the reality in Gaza after the October 7 massacre.
Netanyahu then described his broader diplomatic approach as one built on tactical flexibility while standing firm on core Israeli interests.
“Choose exactly the places where you must stand up to the world,” Netanyahu said. “Where you can say yes, say yes, and where you need to stand on interests, say no. We need to navigate our policy with responsiveness and also with force. I promised that we would change the Middle East, and we did.”
The Gaza comments came during a wide-ranging interview in which Netanyahu also said Israel should begin a decade-long process of phasing out American aid, defended his wartime decision-making after October 7, warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against threatening Israel, and said that as long as he remains prime minister, Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons.
Asked whether he wanted to stop receiving US aid, Netanyahu answered: “Yes,” and said he wanted a 10-year “slope” that would gradually reduce Israel’s dependence on Washington.
“We very much appreciate the aid,” Netanyahu said.
He recalled that when he was first elected prime minister in 1996, he told Congress that Israel would pursue a free-market economic revolution and eventually become independent of US economic aid.
“Everyone opened their mouths,” he said. “Everyone said: Look at this prime minister, giving up aid for a headline.”
Netanyahu said Israel’s economy was approaching $1 trillion and that the country would be able to fund itself, beginning “already in the coming year.”
The prime minister also used the interview to explain how October 7 changed his view of the relationship between Israel’s elected leadership and its security establishment.
'A state with an army,' not vice versa
“I have tremendous appreciation for our soldiers, commanders, and security branches,” Netanyahu said. “But what happened after October 7 was that I understood that we have a state with an army, and not the other way around.”
Netanyahu said that many of the central operational decisions he made after the Hamas massacre were initially opposed or met with reservations by parts of the defense establishment.
He cited the decision to mobilize broadly at the start of the war, focus forcefully on one front at a time, remain defensive against Hezbollah while dismantling Hamas, and later approve operations including the pager operation, Israel’s entry into Syrian territory, and strikes against Iran.
“As long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons,” he said.
Asked whether he was concerned about developments in Egypt and Turkey, Netanyahu focused his answer on Erdogan, saying Turkey’s posture was partly a result of Iran’s weakening.
“The things Erdogan says about wanting to destroy Israel, to retake Jerusalem, I think he forgot that the rule of the Ottoman Empire ended,” Netanyahu said. “There is the State of Israel here, the Israel Defense Forces, and the people of Israel. We will not allow anyone to threaten us.”
Netanyahu also addressed the broader regional picture, saying Israel must remain strong in order to survive in the Middle East.
“The war will never end,” Netanyahu said. “You want to live in the Middle East? Be strong.”
He hinted that additional peace agreements could be on the agenda, but refused to name the countries involved.
“There is more on the table,” Netanyahu said. “I will not name names in order to bring results.”
Netanyahu said Israel was facing both major opportunities and major challenges, and argued that this was why he wanted a broad national government.
“I want a broad national government because we are facing great opportunities and great challenges,” he said. “This is not spin.”
At the same time, he said he had no intention of abandoning any of his current coalition partners.
“That is not even a question,” Netanyahu said. “I am expanding the national camp.”
Asked whether the government’s judicial reform agenda would continue, Netanyahu answered: “Of course. Does anyone not understand that these corrections are needed?”
Netanyahu also addressed the failure to pass the haredi draft law, saying the coalition reached the issue too late.
“We did not manage to pass the draft law because we got to it late,” he said. “It is hard to prevent desertions.”
The prime minister also spoke about his criminal trial and the public campaign against him, saying the experience had left a personal mark.
“What they are doing to me leaves scars,” he said. “It hurts, it even penetrates, but the mission is stronger.”
Despite what he described as the collapse of the cases against him, Netanyahu said he still wanted a pardon.