UUFSD PALESTINE/ISRAEL JUSTICE GROUP (PIJG) FACTS

GAZA ANNEXATION AGENDA

Several far-right Israeli ministers have publicly and repeatedly advocated for the annexation of the West Bank and the re-occupation/annexation of Gaza, along with policies that encourage Palestinian emigration. These calls are not official Israeli government policy but are pushed by key members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition.

The remarks coincided with statements by Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, who said Israel is effectively moving toward extending sovereignty over the occupied West Bank — a term widely understood as formal annexation. He described the territory as “the legacy of our forefathers,” according to Israeli radio cited by Al-Jazeera. In parallel, Israeli occupation authorities have taken concrete administrative steps.

Israel’s security cabinet approved a land registration process in the West Bank for the first time since 1967. The measure allows large areas to be classified as “state lands,” enabling their transfer to settlers or Israeli institutions.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz described the move as strengthening Israeli control over the territory, while Palestinian officials warned it would facilitate annexation and demographic change.

Bezalel Smotrich also spoke of expanding settlement activity beyond the West Bank into the Naqab (Negev) and Galilee, saying the goal is to “strengthen the Jewish population presence there.”

GAZA RE-OCCUPATION PROPOSAL

Israeli officials also addressed the future of Gaza. Smotrich renewed calls to reoccupy the enclave and establish direct military rule. “The goal is to occupy Gaza, establish a military government, set up Israeli settlements in the Strip, and encourage the voluntary emigration of Gaza residents,” he said at a press conference cited by Israeli media and reported by Al-Jazeera.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid rejected the proposal as unrealistic, calling it an “illusion,” while noting the complex political arrangements currently in place around Gaza crossings and administration.

The statements come as Israeli occupation forces continue operations across Gaza and intensify raids, arrests, demolitions, and settlement expansion in the West Bank. Smotrich linked the political moment to international conditions, calling it a “window of opportunity” during the current US administration to enact major changes, including dismantling the Palestinian Authority.