Israeli far-right ministers reject US-backed Gaza postwar plan

Far-right members of Israel’s governing coalition rejected a US-backed plan for postwar governance in Gaza, criticizing prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to annex the territory and establish new Israeli settlements there. Their opposition followed the White House’s announcement of world leaders chosen for a so-called Gaza "board of peace", which includes representatives of Turkey and Qatar.

Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, described Netanyahu’s "unwillingness to take responsibility for Gaza" as "the original sin" and said the prime minister should instead "establish a military government there, to encourage immigration and settlement, and in this way to ensure Israel’s security for many years." Presumably referring to Qatar and Turkey, Smotrich wrote on X: "The countries that inspired Hamas cannot be the ones that replace it.

Those who support it and continue to host it even now will not be granted a foothold in Gaza. Period." On Sunday Netanyahu convened a meeting with coalition partners to calm tensions and assess his next move. He had objected to the plan on Saturday, saying some appointments were "not coordinated with Israel and were contrary to its policy" without specifying who, and he told his foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, to contact the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio.

Key Topics

World, Bezalel Smotrich, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gaza, Gaza Executive Board, Turkey