Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have given the clearest signal yet that they are considering building new Jewish settlements in what remains of the Gaza Strip, after their country waged a genocidal war against Palestinians in the enclave for nearly three years.
Last Monday, Smotrich declared his continued participation in the government coalition conditional As he was given greater control over Israel’s settlement plans, he told reporters that his ministry had prepared plans for three settlements in the northern Gaza Strip and that all that was needed to move forward was the green light from Netanyahu.
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The next day, Netanyahu was close to deploying it. Speaking on Israel’s staunchly right-wing Channel 14, he refused to rule out the prospect of settlements in Gaza.
“The question is whether you would rather do or talk,” the prime minister replied cryptically when asked whether setting up settlements was possible. “And yeah, I’d rather not bring it up.”
Israel’s current settlements – in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem – are illegal under international law.
By paving the way for future settlements in Gaza – and for what Netanyahu euphemistically told Channel 14 viewers was the “voluntary migration” of its remaining population, a process widely referred to by international jurists as ethnic cleansing – Israel has killed more than 73,000 of its residents.
At the same time, Israel was accused by United Nations-backed experts of deliberately carrying out terrorism famine about survivors in Gaza and most recently by encouraging His genocide in Gaza through targeted attacks on children.
The degree to which preparations for the physical establishment of settlements in Gaza are underway – as has been the case before 21 illegal settlements before the Israeli government decided to dismantle them in 2005 – is difficult to determine. The area north of Gaza City was largely leveled by Israel in its targeted campaign to destroy Palestinian homes and institutions, destroying almost everything that was not hit by aerial bombs.
Proponents of settlements in Gaza see the now empty land as a perfect opportunity to consolidate a buffer zone between Israel and Gaza.
With elections coming up in Israel, it is beneficial for politicians like Smotrich and Netanyahu to suggest that this is now the plan.
“The Israeli public has been subjected to almost endless incitements to commit genocide since October 7,” said Neve Gordon, an Israeli professor at Queen Mary University of London. “People who watch old media in Israel have no understanding of the extent of the destruction in Gaza or the nature of the suffering there.
“There are even places, tourist attractions, where some people in Israel go to watch the bombing. This is the audience that statements like Smotrich’s are intended to appeal to. These are the people who would like to see more settlements in Gaza, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take it seriously,” he said. “(But) this is not just rhetoric. There is a clear and consistent push in much of Israeli politics to resettle the Gaza Strip.”
A story of ethnic cleansing
Since the withdrawal in 2005, a growing number of religious hardliners from Israel have tried to resettle the Gaza Strip. Since then, analysts and historians have described concerted efforts by settlement supporters to capture the institutions of Israeli public life and gain dominant voices in the education system, the media and other areas of government.
Organizations such as the far-right settler group Nachala have openly advocated for the enclave’s resettlement. Months after the start of Israel’s war of genocide, Nachala held one conference explicitly promoting Israel’s return to Gaza with the title “Settlement brings security and victory”. The event was attended by numerous government ministers, including Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Despite what critics say is his unprecedented success in building settlements since the 1990s, Smotrich continues to struggle in the polls. His religious Zionist party may not receive enough votes in the next elections – which must take place before the end of October – to meet the minimum threshold for entry into parliament. That perhaps explains why Smotrich is eager to boost settlement prospects in Gaza and win more support from the Israeli right.
Political advantage
The irony is strange to observers like Orly Noy, the editor of the Hebrew-language magazine Local Call.
Smotrich “was the most effective member of the Cabinet in promoting the interests of West Bank settlers,” she said. “In this respect, he has really made a revolution,” he says, referring to the judicial, economic and infrastructure renovations initiated under Smotrich’s leadership, for which he apparently finds little recognition among his base.
The stakes may be even more dramatic for Netanyahu, analysts stressed. Currently active Attempt Due to several corruption charges, the prime minister faces a prison sentence if found guilty.
Likewise the anger at his apparent determination not to keep one independent The investigation into his own government’s failures in the Oct. 7 attack is well underway, potentially giving him reason to believe he will press ahead with settlement construction and the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza.
“Look, if you want to stand out from the rest of the field before the election, now is the time,” said political analyst Ori Goldberg. “This is your moment, and if you want to propose imposing further hardships on the Palestinians, there is absolutely no Jewish member of (Parliament) – except (left-wing MP) Ofer Cassif – who will oppose you.”
“People don’t care anymore,” he said of the chances that the settlement of Gaza will face Israeli resistance. “There’s just nothing (about the suffering in Gaza). People have become indifferent. There’s just a big black hole.”
complicity
While the Israeli government has no domestic concerns about building settlements in Gaza, it still has to deal with the international backlash – and that may be why the project doesn’t make it past the planning phase.
But would building settlements in Gaza really have lasting consequences for Israel?
In the eyes of many, the Israeli government’s freedom of action rests on the unwavering diplomatic and military support of the United States, as well as the financial support of Europe, which, despite occasional criticism, continues to support Israel especially trade Partner.
“As for the international response,” Hugh Lovatt, author and fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said of the prospect of a Gaza settlement: “From 2023, we have seen the largest expansion of settlements since the Oslo Accords (1990s) as well as plans to make the two-state solution obsolete.”
“And while there was some criticism, very little action was taken,” Lovatt said. “I don’t know if it would be different if it happened in Gaza. It is true that since the ceasefire, Gaza has been the focus of great international – and particularly US – attention, which has not been the case in the West Bank.”
However, it is unclear whether this attention would serve as a barrier to Israel’s attempts to expand its settlements.
“Would Israel risk such a blatant step to block Trump’s Gaza plan? I’m not sure,” he said of the US president’s Gaza plan heavily criticized for allowing Israel to continue its presence in Palestinian territory does not mention Israeli settlements.
“And although Europe has a very poor track record so far, an expansion of Israeli settlements into Gaza could force European states to act,” he said.
