Thousands gather in Jerusalem to advocate for Gaza settlements restoration
Several thousand Israelis, including ministers, gathered Sunday evening in Jerusalem, urging the prime minister to proceed with the restoration of settlements in the Gaza Strip, reports Hotnews.ro.
Members of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and other far-right ministers participated in the rally as clashes between the Israeli army and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza intensified.
"It is time to return to Gush Katif and encourage voluntary emigration," said Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, referring to a group of Israeli settlements that once existed in Gaza. "The withdrawal leads to war, and if we don't want another October 7, we must return home, control the territory, and encourage the 'voluntary' departure of Gaza residents," he added.
Eleven other ministers were present at the gathering held in a crowded conference center in Jerusalem, according to organizers.
Some speakers called for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, stating that restoring settlements is the only way to guarantee Israel's security.
Others chanted, "The Oslo Accords are dead, the Israeli people live," referring to the agreements intended to lead to peaceful coexistence between the two peoples, ratified in 1993 by the PLO leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin at the White House in the presence of U.S. President Bill Clinton.
The rally demonstrated that an extremist faction, long a minority in Israel, is now gaining ground, risking deepening divisions between Israel and its American ally.
Israel has occupied the Gaza Strip, as well as the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the 1967 war. Approximately 400,000 Israelis currently live in the West Bank, in settlements considered illegal by most of the international community, alongside three million Palestinians. On the other hand, Israel withdrew its citizens from 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip in 2005. In this territory, 2.4 million Palestinians reside, the vast majority of whom were relocated following the outbreak of fighting in October.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
