In the Judea and Samaria settlement of Beit El, Defense Minister Israel Katz ignited controversy when he
By Sammy,
In the Judea and Samaria settlement of Beit El, Defense Minister Israel Katz ignited controversy when he suggested that Israel would maintain a permanent presence in Gaza and eventually restore Jewish communities in the territory's north. Referring to the Nahal framework, Katz said that "when the time comes," pioneer groups would return to areas evacuated in 2005, emphasizing that it would be done "in the right way, at the appropriate time." He also asserted that Israel would "never leave Gaza," framing the ongoing military presence as a security necessity.
The remarks directly contradicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's repeated assurances that Israel has no intention of resettling Gaza, as well as the US-backed Gaza plan advanced by President Donald Trump, which states that "Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza." Hours later, Katz's office issued a clarification saying that "the government has no intention of establishing settlements in the Gaza Strip," adding that his comments were made "solely in a security context."
Opposition figures swiftly condemned the statements. Former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot accused Katz of acting "against broad national consensus," arguing that the government cannot on one hand endorse the Trump plan while simultaneously "selling myths about isolated settlements in the Gaza Strip," warnings he said undermine Israel's standing abroad.
The controversy unfolded amid intensified settlement activity in the West Bank. Katz praised what he called Israel's "practical sovereignty" in Judea and Samaria, while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pressed Netanyahu to seek US approval for annexation and reiterated that blocking the creation of a Palestinian state is his "life's mission." Together, the remarks highlighted growing pressure from the far right to entrench Israeli control beyond the Green Line, despite official denials of such intentions.
Topics: Gaza, IDF, Israeli Politics
Reported by Sammy for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.