From several points on the outskirts between Israel and Gaza it is possible to see the bombed ruins of the besieged Palestinian territory; and every now and then clouds of gray and white smoke rise with the echo of explosions due to air and artillery attacks.
To most observers, it's an apocalyptic sight - but to right-wing Israelis who want to reclaim the strip, it's a new promised land. Once dismissed as a desolate fantasy by extremists on the fringes, the idea is now gaining momentum thanks to Israel's military successes in Gaza and the political support of Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition.
Last week, near Beeri, the border kibbutz destroyed by a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the Nahala organization held a conference "Preparing for the Resettlement of Gaza", presenting its vision for the future of the area. The Israeli military approved the event even though the area is still technically a closed military zone. Several hundred people gathered at the conference, including government ministers and Knesset members.
The atmosphere at the two-day conference was festive, marking Sukkot, the harvest festival: there was song and dance, as well as popcorn and cotton candy. The space was flooded with blue and white Israeli flags, and most of the men carried pistols or rifles.
Adults participated in planning sessions where speakers showed strategic areas on Gaza maps or visited the stands of right-wing political parties and the Jewish supremacy group Lehava. Children enjoyed puppet shows and small zoos.
We plan to apply what we learned during the years of settling Judea and Samaria here in Gaza," Danijela Weiss, president of the Nahala organization and a veteran of the settler movement, told the audience, using the Israeli name for the occupied West Bank.
"I want to tell you now that in less than a year you can call me and ask: Did you manage to realize your dream? And the answer will be yes... You will all see how the Jews come to Gaza, and the Arabs disappear from Gaza."
She said the Palestinian population of Gaza would "go to other countries of the world," but did not elaborate on how or why.
The Sukkot conference was the third major event this year promoting the return of settlers to Gaza, despite the fact that the movement lacks widespread support among the Israeli public.
The construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories is illegal under international law and practically makes a two-state solution impossible. The settlers claim that they have religious and historical ties to that country and that the settlements are necessary for security. Increased political support in the country, as well as from Republicans and evangelical Christian groups in the US, has enabled the rapid expansion of settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank in recent years, making life even more difficult for Palestinians.
The right-wing movement is probably at the peak of its power. Netanyahu returned to power two years ago, leading the most extreme coalition in Israel's history. His cabinet includes National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, far-right politicians eager to provide government support for settler activities. During the past year of war with Hamas, several members of Netanyahu's Likud party have also publicly supported the resettlement of Gaza.
Amira Has, a well-known Israeli journalist and author from Ramallah, said: "I am not saying this as a prophecy, but as a warning: the idea of re-settlement in Gaza should be taken very seriously. When the settlers first talked about going to Homs (in the West Bank) , Sinai and other places, people did not believe them. But that movement is one of the most organized political forces in Israel in the last 30 years. We are not talking about a group of dreamers ... these are people with enormous political and financial resources and a proven history of success."
Last December, the construction company Harej Zahav, which operates in Israeli settlements, published a sketch of new homes among the destroyed remains of apartment blocks along the Mediterranean coast of Gaza.
"A beach house is not a dream!" the ad said, adding that the company is "working to prepare the ground" for a return to Gush Katif, a Gaza settlement from which residents were forcibly evacuated by the Israeli military after Israel's unilateral withdrawal in 2005.
"When the settlers first talked about going to Homesh (in the West Bank), Sinai and other places, people did not believe them. But that movement is one of the most organized political forces in Israel in the last 30 years. We are not talking about a group of dreamers ... that are people with enormous political and financial resources and a proven history of success, said Israeli journalist Amira Has
Many on the Israeli right believe that the withdrawal from Gaza was a strategic mistake that allowed Hamas to gain power.
In January, thousands of people, including government ministers and Knesset members, attended another Nahala gathering in Jerusalem. A month later, right-wing activists attacked the Erez crossing in northern Gaza, setting up a symbolic "outpost" before the army removed it, and in May, several thousand people took part in a rally in the city of Sderot, led by Nahala.
The Sukkot conference comes a year after the start of Israel's war in Gaza and at a time when it is increasingly clear that Netanyahu's refusal to outline a "day after" plan for the territory is likely to lead to a permanent military occupation. Israel's fearsome offensive on northern Gaza, which has been ongoing for four weeks, appears designed to force the remaining population to leave the area, leading to accusations of the war crime of forced displacement.
The Israeli army and government deny that they are systematically trying to empty the area, but the operation has been enthusiastically embraced by the settler movement.
"In these critical days, we want to raise awareness that only the settlements (in Gaza) will bring the kind of security we had 20 years ago," Icik Fitusi, who was forcibly evicted from Gaza in 2005 and who died on October 7, told Reuters. last year he lost his son, who was in the army.
Gaza resettlement is not official Israeli policy, and the prime minister has repeatedly said the idea is "unrealistic" and "never on the agenda." However, senior Israeli defense officials recently told the daily "Haretz" that the government plans to annex large parts of Palestinian territory.
Speaking from her home in Kedumim, a settlement near Nablus, Weiss, a lively and energetic 79-year-old, said she and others from Nahala have already begun forming "nuclei" that want to establish new settler communities in Gaza. The group has been joined by former residents of Gaza, as well as newcomers who clearly like the idea, she added.
"We have six such groups, each involving hundreds of families," she said. "Before (six weeks), we had more than six or seven hundred families registered."
Since the war in Gaza began, international attention has been refocused on Israeli settlements and settler violence in the West Bank. Resistance came in the form of unprecedented sanctions from the US, Great Britain and the EU.
Weiss, herself under Canadian sanctions, says she is unfazed by criticism from abroad, pointing to what she claims is her personal success in establishing 300 settlements in the West Bank, now home to 500.000 Israeli settlers.
"I have used my experiences from 50 years of settlement in the hills, and I am mobilizing it to create a new reality in Gaza," she said. "You think what I'm saying is imaginary, some kind of fantasy. It's not".
Translation: NB
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