On July 28,Haaretz reports “Netanyahu Proposes To Annex Parts of Gaza in Attempt To Appease Far-Right Minister if Hamas Does Not Agree to a Deal,” stating that Prime Minister Netanyahu “is expected to propose to the political-security cabinet a plan to annex areas in the Gaza Strip, in an attempt to keep Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in his government. According to the plan, Israel will declare that it is giving Hamas a few days to agree to a ceasefire, and if not, will begin annexing areas of the [Gaza] Strip.”
While presented as a plan to keep Smotrich in the cabinet, this has been the direction of Netanyahu’s government for the last 18 months.
Netanyahu will present this to the political-security cabinet members. Haaretz political correspondent Chaim Levinson states, “According to the plan Netanyahu is expected to present, areas in the buffer zone will be annexed first, followed by areas in the northern [Gaza] Strip adjacent to the Israeli cities of Sderot and Ashkelon. The process will continue gradually until the entire Strip is annexed. According to details presented by Netanyahu in talks with ministers, the plan has received approval from the Trump administration.”
Smotrich, the chairman of Religious Zionism, said why he is not breaking ranks: “We are promoting a good strategic move on which it is not advisable to elaborate at the moment. In a short time, we will know if it is successful and where we are headed.”
Haaretz notes, “Threatening to annex areas in the Strip, alongside statements by many government ministers about the need to establish settlements in Gaza, will put Israel on a collision course with the international community, except for the United States.”
It asserts that, “Netanyahu was not previously enthusiastic about annexing territories, but in an attempt to save his government, he is willing to consider promoting such a plan. In talks with his ministers, the Prime Minister said that the Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer presented the plan to the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and it enjoys the support of the White House. President Trump, who is currently visiting Scotland, was not present at the meeting,” states Haaretz.
