Middle East, Smotrich: "Realistic return of settlements in Gaza"

Milan, July 29 (LaPresse) – Defining the Gaza Strip as "an inseparable part of the Land of Israel," the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that returning to the settlements abandoned by Israel in 2005 in Gaza is now a "realistic" option. Speaking at a conference at the Gush Katif Heritage Center, which commemorates two decades since Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, the far-right minister said he "does not want to return to Gush Katif: it is too small, it must be much bigger, much more extensive." Gush Katif was the main block of Israeli settlements in Gaza before the disengagement and housed about 8,500 people in 17 communities. This was reported by the Times of Israel.