Far-right Israelis vow to expand illegal settlements in Gaza as well

Hundreds of far-right Israeli settlers gathered at a conference near the border with Gaza to press for the rebuilding of illegal settlements in the Palestinian enclave.

Currently, there are 140 illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and around 30 in the occupied East Jerusalem.

According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its civilian population into occupied territories, these settlements are considered illegal under international law.

This view is supported by several United Nations resolutions, including Security Council Resolution 242 (1967) and Resolution 2334 (2016), both of which call for an end to Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The event, held in an area designated by the Israeli army as a closed military zone near the settlement of Be’eri at the Gaza border, carries the slogan of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party along with the “Gaza is Ours, Forever” slogan and is centred on preparing for settlement efforts in the territory under the title of “Preparing to Resettle Gaza," which Israel evacuated in 2005.

Several government ministers and Knesset members attended the conference, including far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Minister of Equality May Golan, one of the conference organisers, called for the establishment of Jewish-only settlements in Gaza.

"We will hit them where it hurts - their land. Anyone who uses his land to plan another holocaust will receive another Nakba from us," she said.

Complicating Israel's defence in ICJ cases

The US has consistently opposed the idea of returning Israeli settlements to Gaza, a stance reiterated throughout the ongoing war, particularly after Israel dismantled its Gaza settlements nearly two decades ago.

According to the Israeli news site Walla, such initiatives could complicate Israel's defence in legal cases at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, given that international law deems settlements in occupied territories illegal.

South Africa has already filed a case against Israel at the ICJ in December 2023, accusing Tel Aviv of violating the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. The court held hearings in January 2024 regarding protective measures for Gaza.

Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 42,600 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 99,800 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli war on Gaza has displaced almost the territory’s entire population amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.