Israeli Army Declares Area Around Gaza a Closed Zone – March of Right-Wing Ministers Halted

The Israeli Army has today, according to its own statements, declared an area around the Gaza Strip a military closed zone to prevent a planned march by far-right and right-wing ministers, members of parliament, and their supporters into the Palestinian territory.

According to reports by the Times of Israel, eight ministers intended to take part in the march, including the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The aim of the right-wing groups had been to establish new Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip. The settler organization Nachala had placed the march under the slogan "Returning Home After 21 Years."

Bezalel Smotrich had stated, according to his own account, back in March that preparations for three Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip had been completed. He said he had repeatedly urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz to implement the settlement plans – so far without success. According to consistent reports, Smotrich's plans fundamentally contradict the peace plan of US President Donald Trump.

Contradiction with the Trump Peace Plan

The Trump Plan provides for a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli Army from the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli reports, the Army currently controls 65 to 70 percent of the small Palestinian territory, in which around two million people live. The announcement of the closed zone thus comes at a time of high political and military tension.

The radical settler group Nachala says it is committed, among other things, to expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank and to building new illegal outposts. Under international law, these settlements and outposts are considered illegal. The planned push into the Gaza Strip also touches on questions of international law.

Settlement Policy and International Law

In 2005, as part of the so-called Disengagement Plan, Israel evacuated all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and resettled around 9,000 settlers. A return of settlers to the area would therefore represent a break with previous Israeli government policy and has drawn sharp international criticism.

Political Context: Election Campaign in Israel

The conflict over the march also comes at a time of intensive election campaign preparations in Israel. A parliamentary election is scheduled for the end of October, in the run-up to which right-wing and far-right forces are seeking votes with demands for the re-settlement of the Gaza Strip. Observers view the closed zone as an attempt by the Netanyahu government to avoid a direct confrontation with its right-wing coalition partners and at the same time to prevent further escalation in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Army stated it would prevent any attempts to breach the closed zone. It therefore remains to be seen whether and in what form the planned action can still take place. The political dispute over the future of the Gaza Strip is likely to intensify further in view of the upcoming election.