DaysofPal- Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Monday that Israeli preparations are underway to establish three settlements in the northern Gaza Strip, pending final approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking during a visit to the Israeli settlement of Sderot, Smotrich said that logistical preparations for the settlements have been completed and that implementation of the plan is awaiting a “green light” from Netanyahu.
According to Israeli media reports, Smotrich stated that the Israeli occupation is “ready for the immediate establishment of three settlements in the northern Gaza Strip,” urging the prime minister to grant final authorization for the initiative.
The announcement comes amid the ongoing Israeli political landscape, where Smotrich is seen as appealing to his base within the religious and pro-settlement right.
His party, Religious Zionism, has reportedly experienced declining support and is hovering near the electoral threshold.
In a recorded statement from Sderot, Smotrich also claimed that Israeli forces currently control approximately 70 percent of the Gaza Strip.
He called for the occupation of the remaining 30 percent of the Gaza Strip and the displacement of its people.
He further advocated for the creation of a “settlement belt” consisting of Jewish communities along the border areas inside Gaza, referring to them as “shield settlements,” and argued that “where there is no settlement, there is no security.”
Smotrich has repeatedly called for the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza since the start of the war.
In 2005, under the disengagement plan implemented by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, all Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip were dismantled, along with five settlements in the northern West Bank.
Analysts view Smotrich’s latest remarks as a significant escalation in Israeli political rhetoric regarding Gaza, shifting from military operations and blockade policies toward openly advocating renewed occupation and settlement expansion, moves that could have far-reaching implications for Palestinians in the territory.
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