Hundreds of Israeli settlers gathered for a conference in Jerusalem on Sunday, calling on Israel to rebuild settlements in Gaza and the northern West Bank. Israel withdrew its military and settlers from Gaza in 2005 after 38 years of occupation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel does not intend to re-establish a permanent presence in Gaza but will maintain security control for an indefinite period. However, Israel’s long-term intentions remain unclear, and countries including the United States have said that Gaza should be governed by the Palestinians.
The conference was organized by the right-wing movement "Nahala," which advocates for expanding Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, where there are frequent clashes between settlers and Palestinians. International and relief organizations state that this movement is illegal. The Israeli government did not organize the conference, despite the far-right coalition facing criticism for its support of settlement expansion, which is viewed as obstructing a potential future two-state solution with the Palestinians.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that 12 ministers from Netanyahu's Likud party, along with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich—both leaders of far-right parties in the ruling coalition—attended the conference. Smotrich stated that a significant number of children evacuated from settlements in Gaza have returned as soldiers to fight in the war against Hamas, emphasizing that he opposed the government's decision to evacuate Jewish settlements in Gaza in the past. He added in his speech, "We knew what that would bring and tried to prevent it... Without settlements, there is no security." Participants at the conference chanted enthusiastic calls for rebuilding settlements in Gaza. Ben Gvir expressed his opposition to the evacuation of Jewish settlements in Gaza and warned that it would lead to "rockets on Sderot" and "rockets on Ashkelon" in southern Israel.
