Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that Jewish settlements in Gaza are "inevitable" and that he has believed since the 2005 disengagement from the Palestinian enclave that Israel would eventually need to retake the territory.
"It's clear to me that there will eventually be Jewish settlements in Gaza," Smotrich remarked at a Nachal" movement event, held on the Gaza border under the title "Practical Preparations for Settling Gaza."
The event, which featured workshops on "settlement preparation" near the border, was attended by several coalition members, including Knesset members from the ruling Likud Party and ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir, May Golan and Smotrich himself.
Nachala movement leader Daniella Weiss announced that the movement had "ordered and paid for 40 buildings" intended for future settlements in Gaza. "Representatives from 700 families are here, all committed to settling Gaza," She said. "The only solution is to eliminate Hamas, and those wishing for a normal life should move abroad."
2 View gallery
Nachala movement leader Daniella Weiss speaks in front of the crowd
(Photo: Tomer Shunem Halevi)
Opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned the event, accusing Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party of hijacking Likud and pushing for endless conflict. "This event endangers the IDF and Israel's foreign policy, and there’s no prime minister to stop it," he said.
The event invitation, issued with the Likud logo, read: "Preparing for settlement in Gaza with Likud's settlement cores," and attendees were expected to declare, "Gaza is ours. Forever!"
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: