Israeli Officials Rally to Call for Gaza Resettlement

Daniella Weiss, co-founder of the Nachala settler movement, articulated the event's core ambition before a crowd energized by music: the full colonization of the Gaza Strip from north to south. Speakers explicitly framed the initiative as a permanent displacement of the current population. Weiss, who faces Canadian sanctions for inciting violence in the West Bank, told attendees that the presence of Gazan Arabs in the strip is effectively over, asserting that their removal is a necessary step for the region.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Social Equality Minister May Golan echoed these sentiments, with Golan invoking the 1948 Nakba to characterize the potential expulsion of Palestinians. The rally drew significant participation from the ruling Likud party, including several Knesset members who publicly dismissed the existence of innocent civilians in Gaza. These calls for resettlement align with various plans previously circulated within the government, including proposals to force the Gazan population into Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

The rhetoric arrives as Israel’s military campaign in Gaza enters its 381st day, marked by intensified operations in the north and persistent allegations of a state-led starvation strategy. While the Israeli government withdrew settlers from Gaza in 2005, the territory remains under an effective blockade that the International Court of Justice has recently classified as an illegal occupation. Despite international warnings against forced displacement, the rally signals a hardening of the political consensus among coalition members toward the long-term annexation of Palestinian lands.