At the end of September, several Internet users forwarded a video of barely more than a minute on social networks. It shows Israelis boarding the boats to leave”observe Gaza” and suggests “that Gaza is from now on completely Jewish”, as one of the organizers of these trips explains in the short excerpt.
These photos are actually taken from a documentary by the Turkish public and pro-government media TRT world, aired at the end of August 2024 and titled Holy Redemption. Steal Palestinian land. The film offers an immersion into several groups of radical Israeli settlers who seek to establish Jewish colonies on Palestinian territory. “In this video, the woman seen leading the passengers onto the boat is Daniella Weiss, head of Nachala, an ultra-conservative Jewish settler organization.” also notes Snoopy, an American media specialized in verifying information.
These boat trips are not organized at the initiative of the Israeli government, but at the initiative of activists demanding the return of settlements in the Palestinian enclave. Nachala is particularly known for organizing collections to find illegal outposts, including under Israeli law.
“Ersatz colony”
This summer, a group of far-right priests also tried several times to plant “an ersatz colony” on the border with the Gaza Strip, on Israeli territory, indicates The Times of Israel. “We want to show that there are people who are ready to do it, one of the group’s leaders, Yosef Yitzhak De Bresser, explained to the Israeli media. We would be happy to do it inside Gaza if we had the opportunity.
Officially, Tel Aviv has no plans to reintroduce Jewish settlements in Gaza – the settlements that have long existed there were dismantled by Ariel Sharon’s government in 2005. But some members of the government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has publicly expressed support for the establishment of Israeli settlements, reports The Times of Israel.
Ha’Aretz further underlines the Israeli desire to “take total power” on the northern part of the Gaza Strip, from the old border to the Netzarim corridor [un axe militaire est-ouest qui coupe en deux la bande de Gaza]. “Then we should expect the installation of Israeli settlements in this area, which will ultimately be completely annexed by Israel,” explains the left-wing Israeli daily.
Ha’Aretz also recalls the appointment on 28 August of Lieutenant Colonel Elad Goren as “leader of humanitarian and civilian efforts” together with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (Cogat). An extended title that could look like “Governor of Gaza”.
