Enlarge image

The ultra-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir: "If we don't want another October 7th, we have to control the area"

Photo: Abir Sultan / EPA

The federal government has described calls by some Israeli politicians for the repopulation of the Gaza Strip and considerations for the expulsion of the Palestinian population there as "completely unacceptable." Berlin condemns "in the strongest possible terms the participation and statements made by parts of the Israeli government" at a conference in Jerusalem on the settlement of the Palestinian territory, said Foreign Office spokesman Sebastian Fischer.

The latest statements “contribute to aggravation of the situation in the current conflict and clearly violate international law.” There should be “no solution over the heads of the Palestinians,” said Fischer. "Because Gaza belongs to the Palestinians and they themselves must be able to decide about their future."

more on the subject

  • “Victory Conference”: Netanyahu ministers call for Israeli repopulation of the Gaza Strip

  • Gaza war: Israel calls talks about hostage release "constructive"

  • Future of Palestinian leadership: Does the two-state solution have a chance - especially now? By Monika Bolliger, Fritz Schaap and Bernhard Zand

In Jerusalem on Sunday, thousands of people called for the return of Jewish settlers to the Gaza Strip at an event in a conference center. Among the participants were several members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party as well as some ultra-right ministers, including Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

"If we don't want another October 7th, we have to control the area," said the right-wing extremist minister, referring to the major attack on Israel by the radical Islamic Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, almost four months ago.

Israel completely withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 after 38 years of occupation. A year later, Hamas emerged victorious in elections held there. It finally took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 after armed clashes with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's rival secular Fatah.

Netanyahu considers the initiative “not a realistic goal”

Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu has so far described the return of Jewish settlers to the Palestinian territory as "not a realistic goal." But he also rejects an independent Palestinian state.

According to Israeli information, Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA, killed around 1,140 people and kidnapped around 250 others as hostages in the Gaza Strip in its major attack on Israel on October 7th.

Since then, Israel has taken massive military action in the Gaza Strip, with the declared aim of destroying Hamas. According to the Palestinian Organization, more than 26,400 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip so far. The figures cannot be independently verified, but are considered credible by international organizations.

mfh/AFP