Israeli Ministers Join March Calling for Settlements in Gaza, Expulsion of Palestinians

Ben Gvir and a minister in Netanyahu's Likud party joined the march

Members of the Israeli government joined thousands of Israelis in a march in southern Israel on Tuesday led by far-right activists calling for the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and the expulsion of Palestinians.

The march commemorated the 76th anniversary of the day Israel celebrates its Independence Day, known as the Nakba, or catastrophe, to the Palestinians as more than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes to create the modern state of Israel in 1948.

Joining the march in the Israeli city of Sderot were two ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power party.

“In order to preserve the security achievements that our soldiers lost their lives for, we must resettle Gaza with security forces and settlers that will embrace the land with love,” Karhi said in a speech at the march, according to Haaretz. “This is the only real way to make the Hamas Nazis pay a price and to defend our nation and country.”

Ben Gvir also spoke and said settlements and the expulsion of Palestinians are the “true solution” to the situation in Gaza. “We must return to Gaza now! We are coming home to the Holy Land!” he said. “And second, we must encourage emigration. Encourage the voluntary emigration of the residents of Gaza. It is moral!”

Ben Gvir and other Israeli officials have framed their desire for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza as “voluntary migration,” but the Israeli onslaught is making the Strip uninhabitable and could give the Palestinians no choice but to leave if they have the option.

In October 2023, a document prepared by Israel’s Intelligence Ministry that was leaked to the media said the best post-war scenario for Israel would be the expulsion of all 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza. Since then, Israel has killed about 1.5% of the population of Gaza and has destroyed most of the Strip’s infrastructure.

Limor Son Har-Melech, a member of the Israeli Knesset and Ben Gvir’s Jewish Power party, said last month that there are secret plans in the works to build Jewish settlements in Gaza. “You will see practical steps, including plans and work in government offices and security services. There is intensive work behind the scenes on this,” she said.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.