Ankara: Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday vowed to expand the Judaization of the Negev in southern Israel and the Galilee in the north, a day after boasting about expanding settlements and demolishing Palestinian structures in the occupied West Bank. Smotrich made the remarks in a post on the US social media platform X, commenting on a report by Al Jazeera about the Judaization of the Galilee.
According to Anadolu Agency, Smotrich attached to his post a report quoting him as saying: 'In our next term, we will Judaize the Galilee as we did Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).' Smotrich further stated, 'Al Jazeera, I have good news for you: What we did in Judea and Samaria will be done three times over in the Negev and the Galilee,' in his post. The Negev and Galilee are the two main areas in Israel where Palestinian Arab and Jewish populations overlap. Palestinians make up about 53% of the total population in northern Israel, while Jews account for the remainder. In the Negev, Jews constitute around 70% to 75% of the population, while Arab Bedouins account for approximately 25% to 30%.
On Aug. 28, Smotrich announced a plan to Judaize the Negev and Galilee by bringing 1 million Jews to the two regions, following a 'settlement revolution' in the occupied West Bank. The plan includes establishing 20 new settlements in the Galilee and another 20 in the Negev, as well as creating dozens of farms, facilitating migration to sites he described as 'strategic' and removing what he called 'planning barriers' to settlement construction.
Settlement expansion has been a focal point for Smotrich, who on Wednesday boasted about expanding settlements and demolishing dozens of Palestinian buildings in the occupied West Bank. He stated that his government had been working for four years to expand settlements and 'remove threats on an unprecedented scale.' In a statement, Smotrich mentioned that Israeli authorities had removed dozens of Palestinian structures around the settlements of Makkedah in the southern West Bank and Shira in the north.
The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported that Israeli authorities carried out 71 demolition operations in the West Bank in August, affecting 155 structures, including 47 inhabited homes, eight uninhabited homes, 33 structures serving as sources of livelihood, 61 agricultural structures, and six other structures. The commission added that Israeli authorities issued 44 demolition notices during the same month targeting Palestinian structures and property.
Since the formation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in late 2022, Israel has intensified measures to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank. Government officials, led by Smotrich, have openly touted the approval of dozens of new settlements and settlement outposts. Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. The international community considers Israeli settlements established on occupied Palestinian territory illegal under international law.