Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Thursday a sweeping plan to increase Jewish presence in the Negev and Galilee regions under the slogan "Yes. Judaize!" The plan includes the establishment of dozens of new towns and settlements and seeks radical changes in planning and land systems, coming ahead of the upcoming Israeli elections.
Smotrich, leader of the "Religious Zionism" party, aims to transfer what he described as a "settlement revolution" from the West Bank to the Negev and Galilee, setting a goal of attracting an additional one million Jews to these areas.
The plan outlines the creation of 40 new towns and dozens of new settlements, alongside the expansion of existing ones and provision of hundreds of thousands of housing units and solutions. While the total project cost remains unspecified, existing plans will reportedly serve as the foundation.
To implement this project, the "Religious Zionism" party intends to demand control over planning departments and land authorities in the next government, aiming to enact legislative and administrative changes to accelerate planning and marketing procedures.
Smotrich stated his intention to eliminate what he sees as bureaucratic obstacles to establishing new settlements, redirect planning priorities, and appoint officials who embrace a "Zionist and national" vision.
Criticizing planning policies over the past two decades, he claimed they allowed significant expansion of Arab towns, especially in the Galilee, at the expense of Jewish towns. He vowed to cancel plans that he alleges create geographic extensions for Arab towns and limit the growth of Jewish communities, adding, "We will reverse the equation."
Smotrich also promised to remove what he termed "anti-Zionist and post-Zionist elements" from related institutions, without naming specific officials or employees.
The plan goes beyond housing and planning, proposing security measures targeting unlicensed weapons in the Arab community within Israel.
The Minister cited estimates attributed to internal security agency "Shabak," about the existence of around one million illegal weapons, calling for greater involvement of the agency in combating the spread of weapons in the Negev and the north.
He also called for temporary legislation allowing exceptional measures, including treating the possession of unlicensed weapons as "terrorist activities," expanding administrative detention, and imposing penalties that could reach up to ten years in prison for illegal weapons possession.
Additionally, Smotrich linked the execution of his vision to changes in the judicial system and completion of related legislation, advocating for the appointment of judges supportive of his policies.
The plan thus places land, demographics, security, and judicial matters at the core of the "Religious Zionism" program for the upcoming elections, with expectations of political and legal controversies within Israel over its provisions regarding Arab towns and planning policy changes.