This is despite the fact that United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew into Israel to push for a ceasefire in Gaza following the killing of Hamas military and political leader Yahya Sinwar. (Related: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's killing could make the war in Gaza worse.)
The extremist government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was apparently not interested in negotiating a ceasefire, nor was it interested in what Blinken had to say against Israeli plans to annex and settle Gaza.
A day before Blinken's arrival, hundreds of Israeli settlers and several members of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, including several members of Netanyahu's government, came together in a conference timed to coincide with the Sukkot, an annual Jewish religious holiday marking the exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
The main subject of the conference was to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip and its eventual resettlement with Israelis.
The event, organized by the settler organization Nachala, was conducted less than two miles from the border with Gaza in an area closed off by the Israeli Defense Forces. The conference was carried out under army protection and featured supporters from the U.S., South Africa and Australia.
Nachala leader Daniella Weiss, one of the conference speakers, boasted that families were all set to move to the boundary of Gaza, claiming that the group had already entered an agreement worth "millions of dollars" for temporary housing units as a preparatory settlement of the Gaza Strip. "You will witness how Jews go to Gaza and Arabs disappear from Gaza," Weiss said.
Among the notable attendees of the conference is Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, an extremist who lives in the occupied Palestinian West Bank who is also in charge of Israeli civil administration over the West Bank and has on many occasions in the past called for Israel to completely take over all occupied Palestinian territories.
Ben-Gvir calls for "voluntary" transfer of Palestinians out of Gaza
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir was also in attendance, another extremist and settler in the West Bank who is noted for his very anti-Palestinian beliefs. Heralded as the star of the event, Ben-Gvir is seen by many as Israel's next prime minister.
"We are the owners of this land. They understand that when Israel acts like the rightful owners of this land, that is what brings results," Ben-Gvir said, adding that that Israel should "encourage" Palestinian citizens of Gaza to "voluntarily" transfer out of the Strip. "We will offer them the opportunity to move to other countries, because that land belongs to us."
Israel previously had settlements in Gaza, but disengaged in 2005 after a 38-year-long occupation. Netanyahu claims he does not plan to keep a permanent presence in the Gaza Strip.
However, as Israel's war on the Hamas-controlled territory has entered a second year, Netanyahu has yet to give clarity on who should control Gaza after the war, with some of his government allies being specific about their own endgame.
Follow IsraelCollapse.com for more news about Israel's ongoing war in Gaza.
Watch the video below about Nachala leader Daniella Weiss saying Palestinians no longer have the right to live in Gaza.
This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.
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