DayofPal– Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for the reoccupation of Gaza and the reconstruction of settlements dismantled two decades ago, saying the territory is an “inseparable part of the land of Israel.”
Speaking Tuesday at a conference marking the 20th anniversary of Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, Smotrich said the conditions were now ripe for what was once considered a radical idea: resettling Israelis in the densely populated Palestinian enclave.
“For 20 years we called it wishful thinking,” he told attendees, referencing the former Gush Katif bloc of 21 Israeli settlements that were evacuated under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s so-called disengagement plan. “It seems to me it is now a real working plan.”
While rejecting a return to Gush Katif specifically, calling it “too small and crowded”, Smotrich advocated for a far more expansive resettlement effort.
“It has to be much larger,” he said, asserting that the current military and political circumstances “allow for bigger thinking.”
Smotrich’s remarks come amid growing international alarm over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, now in its 21st month. The war has resulted in widespread destruction and the deaths of thousands of Palestinian civilians, according to humanitarian agencies and local health authorities.
In response to the escalating assault and inflammatory rhetoric from members of Israel’s far-right cabinet, the Netherlands announced this week that it would bar Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country.
The move was intended to signal European opposition to the continuation of the war and to apply diplomatic pressure on Israel to accept a ceasefire.
Both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have publicly threatened to resign from the governing coalition if a ceasefire is implemented. They have also voiced support for the mass displacement of Gaza’s Palestinian population, a proposal that legal experts and human rights organizations warn would constitute ethnic cleansing under international law.
Smotrich’s comments are likely to further strain Israel’s relations with key Western allies and deepen concerns about the direction of Israel’s leadership amid the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=66191
