The company Harei Zahav is known for being a leading developer of illegal settlements on the West Breidda. Now they are promoting settlements in the ruins of Gaza. Photo: Harei Zahav / Screenshot/Instagram An image published on Instagram illustrates a row of beach houses in Gaza. In the background, a Palestinian home can be seen in ruins. Below, the company writes: – Some of our employees have started work to improve the area, remove waste and expel the intruders. Neve Katif, which the company says it plans to expand, was one of the large Israeli settlements in Gush Katif in southern Gaza. Photo: Harei Zahav / Screenshot/Facebook The company writes that they want to build in Gush Katif in southern Gaza. Until 2005, there were 17 illegal Israeli settlements there. – It’s a joke To the Israeli TV channel Channel 13, owner Zeev Epshtein claims that the campaign was a joke. – It’s a joke. As a private company, we cannot decide that the settlements in Gaza take place. – If the State of Israel decides that I will return to Gaza and tenders are called, I will of course have the development done. But it is not in our hands. I call the advertisement a “wink”. On Monday, Harei Zahav published a photo of Israeli soldiers holding a flag with the logo of the housing company. “Our team greets you from Gaza,” the company wrote in the caption. Photo: Harei Zahav / SCREEN DUMP/FACEBOOK That it is a joke or satire, however, does not appear from the post, which the reactions also show. A user writes, for example, that he has “forwarded the post to the court in The Hague”. At the time of writing, the company’s account has been deactivated. To Aftenposten, Epshtein says that the only way to peace is to move part of the population out of Gaza and establish new settlements. news has asked the development company several questions, without receiving an answer. news has asked whether the company has received political permission and support for the project, and why they are publishing the plan while the war is going on. news has also asked the company why the company focuses on the development of illegal settlements. – Can’t rule out that it happens As a result of Israel’s blanket bombing of the populous area, about 18 percent of all infrastructure is destroyed. There are more than 37,000 buildings, according to the UN’s latest survey. Researcher at PRIO, Jørgen Jensehaugen, says it is challenging to understand what Israel thinks will happen to Gaza after the war. Jørgen Jensehaugen researches the Israel-Palestine conflict at the Institute for Peace Research (PRIO). Photo: Høyskolen Innlandet – The government has a range of plans that go from ethnic cleansing to having a military buffer zone a few kilometers into Gaza, he says. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a full occupation of the region. But the part of Israeli society that is most upset about the loss of the settlements in Gaza has important positions in the government, underlines Jensehaugen. Itamar Ben-Gvir is Minister of Security and leader of the far-right party Jødisk Makt. Photo: AFP He looks to the far-right and settler parties to Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. In the broad settlement movement, there is also a section that wants the settlements in Gaza back, says Jensehaugen. It is by no means a given that it is likely, Jensehaugen clarifies. – Establishing settlements in Gaza will only be compatible with the extreme plan of ethnic cleansing. It is clear that it cannot be ruled out that it could happen, but it is a very ideological project. It is putting Israelis at risk and will impose an enormous cost on the state. – Settlements in Vestbreidda are in full swing Last week the government approved a new settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. Half of the “new neighbourhood” with a total of 1,738 dwellings is located in the annexed eastern part of the city. According to Jensehaugen, settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem are proceeding faster than ever. – There are extensions upon extensions, says Jensehaugen. Figures from the UN show that Israel has settled 750,000 in the occupied territories. This is despite the fact that the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the International Federation of the Red Cross and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have concluded in several resolutions and in a judgment that the resettlement is contrary to international law. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says the settlements are a war crime, something Israel disagrees with.
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Israeli housing company published photo of “dream house” among the ruins – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
