'Why don't they give Florida to Israelis?': Egypt's Bassem Youssef slams Gaza deportation plan

An Egyptian heart surgeon turned comedian has criticised a leaked proposal by Israel to forcibly deport Palestinians from the besieged Gaza to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, asking why Europe, which has 44 countries, or 50 states of US "take the Israelis" to end the Middle East's protracted conflict.

Bassem Youssef said the Israeli proposal of forcible transfer of some 2.3 million Palestinians of Gaza to Sinai was "the worst possible solution", in an interview with British TV host Piers Morgan.

"These are Palestinians and this is their land and suddenly you take it," Youssef said. "Basically they are being driven out of their homes, and now another country has to take them in."

Youssef said the Israeli proposal would force Gaza's residents to live in refugee camps.

"These people are being pressured into the Sinai and two million people would be living in refugee camps. What do you expect? Chaos and unrest."

"In a few years, the Western media will come with their cameras and say, 'Look at these Arabs killing each other. That's it.' Good thing Israel got rid of them," the satirist said.

Youssef also questioned why the same scenario is not being considered for Israelis.

"Europe has 44 countries. Why don't they take the Israelis? America has 50 states. Why don't they give Florida to them? We see that they're complaining about Florida all time. Why don't they give it to Israel then?"

Youssef also criticised the West for its silence over Israel's attacks on besieged Gaza.

"There was a vibrant Palestinian culture there and they're destroying it," he said. "A whole culture has been destroyed."

'I want to quote Winston Churchill'

Youssef said the West's silence is due to its view of Palestinians as being inferior.

"They think we're small," he said.

"I want to quote Winston Churchill. He said, 'I don't believe that we have made a great wrong to the Red Indians of America [or] the Black people in Australia because they were replaced by a higher, stronger, a more world wisely race.' The problem is not Hamas or Palestine. The problem is the people who look down on us."

Youssef also criticised the Western media for its coverage of the Middle East, saying that it only reflects one side of the story and does not allow the voices of the other side to be heard.

"Humour is a way to turn reality upside down," he said.

"It shows you how absurd or even stupid a situation is. I was just reacting to what the media was telling me. Suddenly, the people who were proposing the most extreme measures were saying, 'That's too much.' It was a very simple technique. I just talked about the issue and brought attention to it."