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The capture of Gaza and the restoration of Israeli settlements in the territory is no longer just a dream for many supporters of the Israeli right: government ministers, leading members of the Knesset, public figures and thousands of activists have been working intensively on this plan since January 7 October, when war broke out between Israel and Hamas.
Proponents of the idea have stepped up their efforts in recent weeks. Activists divide up the tasks and draw on maps the first settlements they want to build in the Gaza Strip. On Sunday they organized a major conference on the issue, which will take place at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, where more than 3,000 people, including government members, are expected. The news site The Times of Israel (ToI) writes about this.
The conference “Only a regulation brings security” is organized by, among others, the Chairman of the Samaří Regional Council, Jossi Dagan, and the Chairman of the Nachala Movement, Daniella Weissová. She is very actively involved in the planning and development of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Weiss said this week that the planned settlements already have names and an action strategy is in place. “The response is huge, you will see that at the conference.” We managed to register 400 families in seven basic settlement groups across the Gaza Strip. We have grassroots groups on the northern border and in the city of Gaza itself. The city of Gaza will be Jewish,” he adds.
Dagan has similar views. “We must retake this territory and establish a settlement in Gaza. We have to start in the north of the Gaza Strip. Where the settlements of Elej Sinai, Nisanit and Dugit used to be. It is near Sderot and that is where the first settlements are being built,” he said. Sderot is Israel’s largest city near the Gaza border. Israeli leaders have repeatedly rejected the idea of restoring settlements in the Gaza Strip. The international community, especially Israel’s most important ally, the United States, is also clearly against it. Nevertheless, the military operation to overthrow Hamas raises hopes among die-hard supporters of the settler movement.
Occupation of the Gaza Strip
Israel ended its previous occupation of the Gaza Strip in 2005 when it dismantled settlements, withdrew its army and left the territory in the hands of the Palestinian Authority. In 2007, the radical Hamas movement violently seized power here and no elections have been held in the area since. On October 7 last year, Hamas terrorists entered southern Israel, where they killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 253 people hostage to the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with a massive bombing and ground offensive in Gaza to destroy Hamas, remove it from power and free the hostages.
Reoccupying the Gaza Strip and establishing settlements is not the Israeli government’s official line for the post-war settlement. Netanyahu has stated that Israel will not remain in the Gaza Strip after the war and will only retain security control over the area. At the same time, however, almost a third of Knesset and government members, including ministers from the two ultra-Orthodox parties, support the return of settlements to Gaza. The Prime Minister will therefore face internal pressure from all sides of his pre-war ruling coalition.
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