‘Time to return’: Far-right minister, Knesset members call for ousting Gazans from Gaza, resettling Jews

Host of right-wing Israeli ministers and lawmakers Monday gave open calls for resettlement of Jews in Gaza after the war with Hamas was over. They advocated asking Gazans to leave the Strip and emigrate somewhere else.They were speaking at a jubilant gathering at the Jerusalem International Convention Centre.“God willing, we will settle and we will be victorious,” said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the ultranationalist Religious Zionism party.“Time to return home to Gush Katif,” said National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the extreme-right Otzma Yehudit party. Gush Katif is what the Israeli settlement bloc in Gaza was called before its evacuation in the 2005 Disengagement.A ‘Covenant of Victory and Renewal of Settlement’ was signed at the convention. People, including the ministers and coalition lawmakers pledged to “grow Jewish settlements full of life” in the Gaza Strip.Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi of Prime Minister Banjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party also called resettling Gaza with Jews. He called for encouraging voluntary emigration of Gazans after the war.On the contrary, social media posts of the merry making received severe flak as exhibiting “hallucination” and “madness” that would isolate Israel.“These joyous dances and the vision for establishing settlements in the heart of Gaza are not essentially different from the burning of the food warehouses in besieged Jerusalem during the Great Revolt. An extremist group whose vision heralds the isolation of the State of Israel...” wrote KarivGilad, Member of Knesset on behalf of the Labor Party.