Israeli right-wing ministers join a gathering urging the country’s resettlement of Gaza

JERUSALEM — The warnings from the White House and the United Nations’ top court have not deterred some of Israel’s right-wing ministers from promoting a concerning vision that the country’s own prime minister has dismissed: rebuilding Israeli settlements in Gaza after the war. Despite international objections, several ministers within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government attended a conference in Jerusalem calling for Israel’s “resettlement” of Gaza. The event, called “Settlement Brings Security,” was led by the right-wing Nachala organization, which advocates for the expansion of Jewish settlements, considered illegal by international and humanitarian bodies. The conference urged Israel to rebuild settlements in Gaza and northern parts of the occupied West Bank.Israel dismantled its settlements in Gaza as it withdrew from the territory in 2005 after 38 years of occupation. The enclave was left in the control of the Palestinian Authority, with Hamas assuming control in 2007.
While Netanyahu has stated that Israel has “no intention of permanently occupying Gaza or displacing its civilian population,” questions have remained over the future of the enclave after Israel’s war against Hamas ends. In the entrance hall of the conference, a massive map outlined what organizers said was their vision for settlements in Gaza — from north to south of the enclave. The director of Nachala, Daniella Weiss, a well-known leader of the Israeli settler movement, told NBC News the map envisions a future in which “all of [the] Gaza Strip is a part of the state of Israel, of the land of Israel.”
“Instead of them, there will be many, many Jews that will return to the settlements, that will build new settlements,” she said. Addressing the conference, Ben-Gvir called on Netanyahu to be “courageous,” saying now was the time to develop Israeli settlements in Gaza — and to “encourage” Palestinians to leave the enclave. Smotrich said he had “mixed emotions” about the event, with Israel being focused on the war against Hamas, but he said that the country is at a crossroads and that “without settlement, there’s no security.” Their comments sparked cheers from a roaring audience, with several ministers at one point getting up from their seats in the front row to join fellow attendees as they broke into song and dance. In addition to Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu and Tourism Minister Haim Katz, of Netanyahu’s Likud party, were also at the event, along with a number of other politicians.

They took part in the conference after the International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Israel to do everything in its power to prevent acts of genocide in its offensive in Gaza. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the conference, saying it posed a “blatant challenge” to the international court’s ruling and encouraged the displacement of Palestinians by force. The U.N.’s top court stopped short of ordering a cease-fire, which South Africa, the plaintiff in the case, had requested. Inflammatory rhetoric from prominent figures within Israel’s government played a key part in South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide, a charge Israel denied. Despite these developments, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir appeared undeterred by the events at The Hague and a recent warning from the Biden administration, claiming that “resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza” should be stopped immediately. Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the Israeli ministers’ attendance.

Since the start of the war, Netanyahu has faced a constant balancing act of trying to maintain support from the Biden administration while steering the most far-right government in Israeli history. Despite the attendance of thousands of people at the event, a recent poll found that more than half of Israelis opposed annexing the Gaza Strip and reinstating settlements that were dismantled during Israel’s 2005 withdrawal. Centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid expressed concerns that the event could damage possible negotiations toward a deal to release hostages held in Gaza and Israel’s international standing as it faces scrutiny over its deadly offensive in Gaza.