The Israeli government has answered international calls for a halt to settlement expansion with a nose-thumbing announcement of 22 new settlements in the West Bank. These would comprise brand new communities along with the legalization of existing outposts.
Peace Now [Israel’s Shalom Achshav organizaton] says it is the largest expansion of settlements since the signing of the Oslo Accords 30 years ago.
In a joint statement, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made clear the message they are sending with this decision:
The new settlements are all placed within a long-term strategic vision, whose goal is to strengthen the Israeli hold on the territory, to avoid the establishment of a Palestinian state, and to create the basis for future development of settlement in the coming decades.
Peace Now responds:
The Israeli government no longer pretends otherwise: the annexation of the Occupied Territories and expansion of settlements is its central goal. The cabinet’s decision…will dramatically reshape the West Bank and entrench the occupation even further.
At a time when both the Israeli public and the entire world is demanding an immediate end to the war, the government is making clear—again and without restraint—that it prefers deepening the occupation and advancing de facto annexation over pursuing peace.
Peace Now’s condemnation was widely quoted in the press — for example, in these reports by CNN and The Guardian.
Meanwhile in Gaza…
Israel’s horrific Gaza campaign continues to cause large-scale civilian casualties and suffering due to repeated bombing raids, dearth of humanitarian aid, and deplacements of the population. The intended target may be Hamas, but ordinary Gazans end up in the line of fire. Children under 18 make up nearly half of Gaza’s population. Not surprisingly, therefore, thousands upon thousands of the killed, maimed, wounded and orphaned are children.
After a two-month blockade, Israel has allowed some aid into the Strip, but international organizations say it is a “drop in the ocean” and that distribution is highly problematic. In addition, people living in flimsy tents amid the Gaza rubble are continually forced to flee to new areas. In recent weeks, almost a third of Gaza’s two million residents had to leave where they were living. According to one report, the entire population is now huddling in one fifth of the enclave. The inhumane conditions also facilitate the spread of disease.
Firebrand National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir doesn’t hide his intentions for Gaza. They are the same as for the West Bank: to resettle the land with Jews and drive the Palestinians out. At a far-right rally in mid-May he said:
To end the problem… we need to do two things: one, return to Gaza now…And second, encourage emigration. Encourage the voluntary departure of Gaza’s residents…
The official justification for prolonging the Gaza war is to defeat Hamas and thus bolster Israel’s security. In the short term, the current campaign puts the remaining hostages held by Hamas in ever greater jeopardy, while causing an unconscionable civilian catastrophe. For the longer term we must ask: how can this iron fist, zero-sum policy lead to anything but tidal waves of rage, new generations of revenge seekers and increasing pariah status for Israel? How can Israel’s society stay sound amidst moral bankruptcy?
Yes, Hamas is an evil terrorist movement committed to Israel’s destruction. But Israel has allowed no alternative leadership to emerge and offered no endgame other than military occupation and the possibility of ethnic cleansing.
Hamas can only truly be defanged through a horizon of hope for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence based on a two-state solution. Both peoples deserve peace and security. The only way to get there is through courageous, sustained diplomacy and peace building.