“Israel” Plots Gaza Ethnic Cleansing with US Backing: Smotrich Pushes Settler Takeover

By Staff, Agencies

Far-right “Israeli” politicians and settler activists gathered in the Knesset on Tuesday to unveil a plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza and rebuild it as a Jewish-only “resort town,” claiming they had received a “green light” from the US to proceed.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that “Israel” would permanently occupy the Gaza Strip, integrate it into “Israeli” territory, and repopulate it with settlers after forcibly relocating the over two million Palestinians who live there.

“We will occupy Gaza and make it an inseparable part of ‘Israel,’” Smotrich told attendees of the event titled The Gaza Riviera – From Vision to Reality.

He added that a proposal to “relocate Gazans to other countries” would clear the way for “Israeli” settlement.

Smotrich advocated a so-called “security annexation” of northern Gaza and claimed that the Israeli military chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, supported the plan. “I truly believe there is a tremendous opportunity here,” he said, outlining a vision to create three new Jewish settlements along Gaza’s northern border.

The concept of converting Gaza into a tourist destination was originally proposed by US President Donald Trump. Despite widespread international criticism—including from Spain, France and China—the idea continues to enjoy support from “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, War Minister Israel Katz and other members of the “Israeli” political establishment.

At the conference, right-wing Knesset member Limor Son Har-Melech lauded “Israeli” settlers as heirs to the founders of “Israel” and called for the construction of “big and fortified” Jewish cities across the Gaza Strip. “We need to rebuild Gaza with Jewish cities,” she said. “There is a thirst for return among the public… Jews belong to the Gaza Strip.”

This push comes despite “Israel’s” 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, during which it evacuated 8,000 settlers from 21 illegal settlements as part of a so-called disengagement plan.

Since the launch of “Israel’s” genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, far-right factions have ramped up calls to re-establish settlements in the Strip. Lawmaker Zvi Sukkot described the current moment as a “historic opportunity” to fulfill Trump’s vision of an ethnically cleansed Gaza.

Daniella Weiss, head of the extremist Nachala settler movement, made the plan explicit: “The Arab Gaza chapter is over.” She rejected any future Arab, international, or American involvement in governing Gaza, and said the Tel Aviv regime would soon allow the “emigration” of the remaining Palestinian population. “Gaza is difficult to conquer because of its sanctity,” she said, “but the day of the occupation of Gaza is coming.”

Her colleague, Lital Slonim, presented the Nachala movement’s detailed vision for transforming Gaza into an exclusively Jewish settlement bloc. According to the plan, 300,000 settlement units would be built for an expected 1.2 million “Israeli” settlers. The area would include green zones, hotels, a university, industrial zones and potentially a port.

“The removal of the civilian population, by choice and/or within the framework of an arrangement, is a necessary stage for the evacuation of the battlefield and its transformation into a space of Jewish life, agriculture, industry, tourism and settlement,” the plan stated.

Despite the staggering toll of the ongoing war—over 59,106 Palestinians martyred, mostly women and children, and more than 142,511 injured—the “Israeli” government continues to push for permanent control over Gaza.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former war minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Simultaneously, “Israel” faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.