Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz
Defense Minister said on Tuesday that the country could build settlements in the north of Palestinian territory, which goes against the US peace plan for the region.
Israel will never withdraw all its troops from the Gaza Strip, the country’s Defense Minister said this Thursday, Israel Katz.
“In Gaza, Israel will never fully withdraw. There will be a significant security area within the Gaza Strip,” said Katz during a conference organized by the Makor Rishon newspaper, a nationalist and pro-settlement media outlet.
The minister also said that the occupation would continue even in the scenario of a transition to the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan — by the UN — and the disarmament of the Palestinian group Hamas. According to Katz, new Israeli settlements could be created in the northern part of the coastal strip to protect the security zone.
“Even after the dissolution of Hamas, an important security zone will be maintained that will surround Gaza in controlled areas to protect the settlement. And in the northern part, in my view, it will be possible to establish settlements in an orderly manner when the time comes,” he added.
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Two days earlier, at an event with settlers in the occupied West Bank, Katz had already stated that Israel could install “Nahal posts” in Gaza, similar to what is already happening in the West Bank, another Palestinian territory under occupation.
Nahal posts are settlements established by the military, which combine the function of a base with settlement characteristics, with an emphasis on agriculture. They often precede the installation of permanent Israeli settlements.
“With God’s help, when the time comes, also in northern Gaza, we will establish Nahal pioneer groups in place of the settlements that were evacuated“, he said, in reference to the former Israeli settlements in Gaza that were deactivated in 2005, during the former government of Ariel Sharon. “We will do it in the right way, at the appropriate time.”
However, shortly afterwards, Katz’s ministry issued a statement that indicated a retreat in statementsstating that the Israeli Government “has no intention of re-establishing settlements in Gaza” and that the statements had been made “only in a security context”.
Blocked negotiations
According to the Israeli press, Tuesday’s comments irritated members of the US Government.
A The second phase of the White House’s ceasefire plan in Gaza remains at an impasse and has no defined implementation date. This phase foresees the total withdrawal of Israeli troopsas well as the disarmament of Palestinian militias, the reconstruction of the enclave and the creation of a transitional government.
However, Katz’s new statements seem to suggest he has returned to his original position. The minister himself denied having backed down at any point.
One of the main obstacles pointed out by Israel for the implementation of the plan is that the country is still waiting to receive the body of the last Israeli hostage.
The first stage of the ceasefire, which came into force on October 10, included the cessation of hostilities, as well as the release of all hostages by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli side. However, Israeli attacks did not completely ceaseand drones continue to fly over Gaza, while troops fire at those they consider to be getting too close. .
The death toll in the Gaza Strip exceeds 70 mil, while the injured number more than 171 thousand since October 7, 2023, according to data from the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian enclave.
