Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday evening that ministers are prepared to immediately establish three settlements in the northern Gaza Strip, pending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's green light. The statement marks a shift from temporary military outposts to permanent civilian settlement in the buffer zone Israel holds since the ground operation.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday evening that ministers are prepared to immediately establish three settlements in the northern Gaza Strip, pending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's green light. In a statement reported by Amit Segal (N12), Smotrich said: 'We are ready for the immediate establishment of three settlements in the northern perimeter [buffer zone] of the Gaza Strip. We are waiting for the green light from Netanyahu.' The statement marks a shift from temporary military outposts to permanent civilian settlement in the buffer zone Israel holds since the ground operation. It is unclear whether the plan has been formally advanced within the government, and no timeline or locations have been announced beyond the minister's declaration. Smotrich's comment follows a period of internal coalition debate over settlement policy in the Strip, where the IDF retains a security buffer but no formal civilian presence since the 2005 disengagement. The Zioneer has not previously reported on this specific proposal.
2 developments
- DevelopingSmotrich warns Bennett government would evacuate new West Bank outposts, establish Palestinian state
- DevelopingSmotrich visits Gaza border communities, tells angry residents 'I understand the anger'
- DevelopingNetanyahu Urged to End Gaza Occupation and Advance Settlement in Northern Strip Before Elections
- DevelopingSmotrich warns of EU-backed plot to reverse West Bank settlement drive
Source and signal
- Internal intake