Israel Quietly Plans Settlements in Gaza, Allocates US$400 Million
Israel’s Defence Minister and Finance Minister have announced a plan to establish three illegal settlements in the Gaza Strip, alongside an allocation of more than US$400 million (approximately £300 million) to expand construction in the occupied West Bank. Simultaneously, the Israeli military commander for the region praised illegal outposts that frequently perpetrate violence as ‘security partners’.
Ahead of the national elections scheduled for 27 October, the far-right coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu is racing to expand territorial control in occupied Palestine and displace Palestinians before its term ends. Defence Minister Israel Katz stated his intention to establish three ‘Nahal’ military outposts in northern Gaza. For decades, this type of military community has served as a pathway for the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced aid of 1.3 billion Israeli shekels (approximately £318 million) for the construction of dozens of new Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. According to Israeli media reports, the cabinet actually approved the funding allocation last month but kept it secret due to anticipated opposition from the United States.
Major General Avi Bluth, commander of Israeli forces in the West Bank, told residents of extremist outposts that he ‘appreciates their efforts’ and considers them military partners in security matters. Bluth, who himself was raised in a West Bank settlement, made the remarks on Wednesday during a meeting with the Agricultural Association—a euphemistic name used to umbrella settlements considered illegal even under Israeli law. Such outposts have played a major role in a series of terror actions that have driven Palestinians from their homes and land across the occupied West Bank.
Dozens of Israeli political and military elite figures—including two former prime ministers and former heads of all the country’s security agencies—have threatened to take the government to court for allegedly supporting Jewish terrorism in the West Bank. ‘Settler violence is state violence,’ stated the UN human rights office for Palestine in its latest report released this week. The report detailed how Israel utilises settlers to lead annexation efforts, while the absence of legal enforcement against perpetrators allows the violence to grow unchecked.
Hagit Ofran of the Israeli activist group Peace Now noted that heavy machinery is operating at at least seven settlement sites planned to be inhabited before election day. ‘The government is racing recklessly ahead of the elections, draining the state coffers to create a reality of territorial control on the ground,’ Ofran said. Katz outlined his settlement plans for Gaza during a visit to the Israeli-controlled area of the strip. He has previously urged ethnic cleansing in Gaza through the mass displacement of Palestinians. ‘I intend to establish three Nahal military outposts—which also function as defence units—at sites that were formerly Israeli settlements in northern Gaza,’ he told Channel 14 television.