SAEDNEWS: Israeli opposition figures have launched a fierce attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to allocate up to $4 billion for a so‑called “humanitarian city” in Rafah, branding the initiative an extravagant misallocation of public funds.
According to Saed News, Israel’s political opposition has mounted a scathing critique of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the announcement of a multi‑billion‑dollar plan to establish what officials describe as a “humanitarian city” for Gaza’s displaced population in the southern town of Rafah. Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, decried the scheme on social media platform X, arguing that “with the $15 billion price tag cited by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, we could have reduced class sizes in our schools, lowered fuel and public‑transport costs, and subsidized kindergartens and daycare centres—this is just the beginning.”
Last week, Defence Minister Israel Katz instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for the mass relocation of Gaza’s Palestinian residents to the proposed settlement on the ruins of Rafah. Katz asserted that the new enclave would not only house the entire displaced population but also serve as a departure point for those seeking to emigrate from the Gaza Strip.
Government estimates place the cost of the Rafah project between $2.7 billion and $4 billion. Critics warn that the plan risks inflaming tensions both domestically—where many Israelis face soaring living costs—and internationally, as questions mount over the legality of forced population transfers under international law. Lapid and other opposition leaders demand that Netanyahu redirect resources to pressing social needs at home, challenging the government to justify the project’s strategic and ethical underpinnings.
