By Palestine Chronicle Staff 
Hundreds of Israeli settlers have participated in a conference calling for Israel to rebuild settlements in the besieged Gaza Strip and the northern part of the occupied West Bank.
The conference, organized by the right-wing Nahala organization, was held in Jerusalem on Sunday, and, according to Haaretz, was titled “Conference for the Victory of Israel – Settlement Brings Security: Returning to the Gaza Strip and Northern Samaria.”
Although reports say it was not organized by the Israeli government, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that twelve ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party along with Public Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were in attendance. Both are from far-right parties in the governing coalition.
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JUST NOW: A massive group of people gathered in Jerusalem for a far-right conference advocating the resettlement of the Gaza Strip.
Titled “Conference for the Victory of Israel,” the gathering, attended by key… pic.twitter.com/Sq2RcHDuom
— AHMED | أحمد (@ASE) January 28, 2024
Haaretz reported that “the conference included speeches from many public figures, including Knesset members and ministers from the current coalition government, as well as rabbis, settlement activists, families of soldiers currently fighting in Gaza, and heads of southern councils.”
The report further stated that during the conference, participants were “presented with details of Jewish settlements, maps, and the stages of preparation, along with calls for decision-makers to acknowledge that a war victory can only be claimed through the Jewish resettling of the Gaza Strip.”
Israeli government ministers dance at a conference planning illegal Israeli settlements in Gaza.
So far, I have spotted the ministers of communication, national security, and heritage, at least.pic.twitter.com/1Y3Fd4AAvJ
— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) January 28, 2024
Claims of ‘No Security without Settlements’
Ben-Gvir reportedly told the conference that “If we don’t want another October 7, we need to go back home and control (Gaza).”
“We need to find a legal way to voluntarily emigrate (Palestinians) and impose death sentences on terrorists,” Ben-Gvir added.
Smotrich is reported as saying that children who were evacuated from settlements in Gaza when Israel withdrew from the enclave in 2005 must return as settlers.
Twelve Israeli ministers, including Ben Gvir, Smotrich, and several from Netanyahu’s Likud party, took part in a conference and signed a petition for the “renewal of the settlements in Gaza”.
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— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 29, 2024
He said children “…are returning there as combat fighters. We must make sure they return there as settlers to protect the people of Israel,” according to Haaretz.
Another report quoted Smotrich as saying that “without settlements, there is no security.”
Likud Minister Haim Katz is reported as saying that, “today, after 18 years (from disengagement from Gaza), we have the opportunity to rebuild and expand the land of Israel. This is our final opportunity”.
Reuters reported that the crowd roared with chants “to rebuild Jewish settlements in Gaza.”
Conference Criticized
According to Aljazeera, some Israeli politicians slammed the conference, and the participation of government ministers.
Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch told Israeli Army Radio that “it’s not right to get into this conversation now,” adding, “We need to focus the discourse on unity for our troops.”
Even though Israel withdrew its military from the enclave in 2005, after decades of occupation, a blockade has been in place since 2007. Tel Aviv imposed a land, sea and air blockade on the enclave, and also controls two of the three border crossing points.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 26,637 Palestinians have been killed, and 65,387 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
