Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich spoke at a pro-settler conference on Tuesday and stated that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir told him that Israel needs to annex the north of the Gaza Strip for security purposes during a conversation last week.
The conference, led by two MKs from Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party (RZP), Zvi Sukkot and Limor Son Har-Melech, and titled "The Riviera in Gaza - from vision to reality," in collaboration with the Nachala Settlement Movement, included discussions over a plan for Jewish resettlement of the Gaza Strip.
The plan presented includes returning the Gaza Strip to full Israeli sovereignty, transforming it into a developed and innovative area with housing for hundreds of thousands of residents, alongside advanced agricultural projects, a seaport, airports, industrial zones, universities, health clinics, and tourism complexes along the coast, according to the organizers.
The conference was held in a hall in the Knesset and was attended by ministers, Knesset members, local council heads, security officials from the Gaza border communities, bereaved families, representatives of hostage families, and others.
Smotrich said, "We have strong support from President Trump to turn Gaza into a prosperous region, a coastal city with settlement and employment. This is how peace is made. There is really an opportunity to think big. This is possible and realistic. I am completely optimistic. To conquer Gaza and settle it as an integral part of the State of Israel and the Land of Israel."
MK Gilad Kariv (The Democrats) responded to Smotrich's remarks, accusing him of calling for "war crimes." He argued that Smotrich’s statements "endanger IDF soldiers and create strategic harm to the State of Israel."
"His positions are not grounded in government decisions or Knesset resolutions. They are not included in the war objectives as set out by the Cabinet. Security officials do not provide support for these positions. On the contrary," Kariv continued.
"Still, a cabinet member, party leader, and senior minister is calling for the commission of war crimes. His words endanger IDF soldiers and commanders, cause strategic harm to Israel's standing in the world, undermine social cohesion in Israel, and subvert the values of the IDF and the foundational values of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state."
Comments from other conference attendees
"We need to start building. We need to rebuild the Gaza Strip. We will work for Jewish settlement across the Gaza Strip." Har-Melech said in the opening speech of the conference.
"Like our forefathers, we are building the future, a future of settlement in Gaza," she added.
"On the morning of October 7, everyone in the country understood the mistake. The folly of the evacuation from Gaza. We will rebuild the Gaza Strip! Not just Gush Katif, we will build large cities and fortresses, and it will happen throughout Gaza," Sukkot added.
Development of the Negev and Galilee, and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf (Otzma Yehudit) also spoke at the conference.
"We left Gaza, and we received them in our homes! Returning home, returning to the settlement there, is a mission that will restore security. This is the price those cursed terrorists need to pay. With God's help, as soon as possible! Settlement equals security. It is worth morality, worth Judaism, worth the State of Israel," he said.
This needs to happen for several reasons: because this is the Land of Israel, and because it will safeguard our small Land of Israel. It is right and necessary for the security of the State of Israel," Michal Woldiger (RZP) said.
"Where there is no settlement, there is no defense. The more we settle, the more we defend the State of Israel," Knesset National Security Committee chair Zvika Fogel (Otzma Yehudit) stated.
"On October 7, 2023, the chapter of Arab Gaza history ended," Daniela Weiss, chairwoman of the Nachala Settlement Movement, said, adding that "Settlement in the northern boundary can happen today, now."
"Every Jew feels the pain of the hostages and their families every day, every hour. But there is no way to bring them back except by defeating Hamas and the Jewish settlements in Gaza. The day is close for victory over the enemy and the redemption and settlement of Gaza," she continued.
We should return to the Gaza settlements, known as Gush Katif, "because they are ours," Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said via video.
Idan Baruch, brother of murdered hostage Uriel Baruch, also addressed the conference. "We will build Neot Uri'el in his memory. We need to return there with pride, with Jewish pride. Because this is our divine command, to return to our land," Baruch said.
"The only thing that will bring security to the State of Israel is settlement on our land. We will build a neighborhood for every hostage, a street for every fallen soldier," Baruch added.