Faced with the Israeli far-right, US Jewish groups oppose a return to Gaza

JTA – A number of centrist and liberal American Jewish groups oppose the restoration of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip.

The statements by some of the country’s largest Jewish organizations, made in response to press inquiries, come as Israel is accused of evacuating parts of northern Gaza, which Jerusalem has denied, and as far-right ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have called for the resettlement of the enclave. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have also repeatedly called on Israel to encourage Palestinians to leave Gaza, drawing condemnation from President Joe Biden’s administration. among others.

For several American Jewish groups, some of which have vehemently defended Israel’s continuation of its war in Gaza against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, the idea of ​​Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip is a no-go. Groups opposed to the idea include the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), the American Jewish Committee (AJC), and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Also opposed are organizations representing the Reform and Conservative movements, which together can claim to represent the majority of American Jews.

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“The land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which belongs to both Jews and Arabs, cannot be the exclusive domain of one people, but must be shared,” said Jason Isaacson, head of policy and AJC Political Affairs. “Like the vast majority of Israelis, the AJC believes that the reestablishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza, or a program to displace Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, would be contrary to Israel’s interests. »

Israel evacuated its settlements from Gaza in 2005, and Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out reestablishing them after the war. But while most Israelis oppose the idea, more than a third – including 42% of Israeli Jews – support it, according to a recent poll by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI). This includes nearly 60% of right-wing Israeli Jews, the current government’s voting base.

“Ideas like building new settlements in Gaza are welcome, we must remember that ultimately this is the biggest punishment for what they did to us on October 7 [2023] ” Ben Gvir said in an interview with Israeli radio this month, referring to the pogrom carried out by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas on October 7, 2023 in southern Israel. This massacre sparked the war in Gaza.

He said he frequently discussed encouraging Palestinian emigration from Gaza at government meetings. He also said Netanyahu was showing “some openness” to the idea of ​​”encouraging the migration” of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip. “I hope the Prime Minister will eventually understand that this is the way to go,” he added.

These positions have been the subject of strong criticism in Israel, including from former officials who were once close to Netanyahu and who have since broken with him.

Netanyahu’s former defense minister from 2013 to 2016 and Israeli army chief of staff, Moshe Ya’alon, recently said that Israeli leaders, driven by far-right elements who seek to repopulate the Gaza Strip, led the country on a path of ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip, and warned that the Netanyahu government was leading the nation to “destruction.”

“The path we are being led down is one of occupation, annexation and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip. The transfer, whatever you want to call it, and the Jewish settlements,” this fervent critic of the government told Democrat TV.

Carole Nuriel, director of the ADL’s Israel office, condemned proposals to permanently displace Palestinians from Gaza and reestablish settlements there.

“We are deeply troubled by statements by Israeli government ministers and activists advocating emigration or ‘population reduction’ of Palestinians from Gaza,” Nuriel said in a statement.

“These views reflect an inhumane approach, tarnish Israel’s reputation and are fundamentally immoral. »

The issue recently gained attention at a JFNA conference, where a senior executive joked in a closed-door meeting about owning property in Gaza, sparking criticism. negative reactions from a number of participants.

In response to an inquiry, a JFNA spokesperson said the group’s position on Gaza resettlement “has not changed,” referring to the group’s policy page, which supports a two-state solution ” where Israel lives in peace with a demilitarized Palestinian state” – an outcome that would rule out an Israeli presence and settlements in the Gaza Strip.

Support for a two-state solution is widespread, but not universal, among centrist Jewish groups in the United States, although condemnations of West Bank settlements from their offices are rarer. Polls show that most Israelis oppose the creation of a Palestinian state, as does the current Israeli government.

In its statement on the reestablishment of a Jewish presence in Gaza, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), however, noted that it also opposed the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

“Just as we have strongly opposed the continued expansion of Israeli settlements, we categorically oppose the horrific and dangerous plan by right-wing members of the current Israeli government to resettle in Gaza,” said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the URJ. He added that the presence of settlements in Gaza would make Israel “less secure” by diverting its army, and would also displace Palestinians.

The Rabbinical Assembly, which represents the Conservative movement’s clergy, also said it “opposed any plans for Jewish settlement in Gaza.”

Its CEO, Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, said this would “constitute a significant step back” from other stated goals in the region, including the release of hostages still held by Hamas, as well as a possible Palestinian state.

AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, did not directly address the issue of the Jewish presence in Gaza in response to a request for information on the subject.

“Our goal is to ensure that America continues to support Israel in its just war against aggression by Iran and regime terrorist proxies on Israel’s borders and throughout the Middle East. “, said Marshall Wittmann, spokesperson for AIPAC, in a press release to the attention of the JTA.

In contrast, the liberal Israel lobby J Street said it was opposed to any resettlement plans in Gaza and expressed concern that Israel was “being dragged into the abyss by extremists.”

Resettlement in Gaza, said Adina Vogel-Ayalon, vice president of
J Street, “would not only cross a red line for the majority of American Jews and for J Street, but also for most Israelis and many former military and political leaders. This should be a red line for any pro-Israel group representing American Jews.”

Representatives of the Orthodox Union (OU) and the Rabbinical Council of America, two major American Orthodox groups, did not respond to a request for comment. William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, an umbrella group that supports Israel and whose members span all political ideologies, also did not respond.

Some American Jews, however, support the resettlement of Israelis in Gaza, including Morton Klein, director of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), which has long supported the settlements.

“We really support Jews who want to return to their homes in Gaza or live in Gaza. If two million Arabs can live in Israel, why can’t Jews live in Gaza? asked Klein.

“The Israeli government should facilitate this process. »

The statements came as some of the same groups opposed to Gaza resettlement harshly criticized a new report from human rights NGO Amnesty International that accuses Israel of “genocide.” The report also calls on the international community to “oppose any attempt by Israel to establish a permanent military presence in Gaza, alter its borders and demographic composition, or shrink its territory,” among a litany of accusations against Israel.

Israel has flatly rejected the “genocide” charge, saying it was taking significant steps to limit harm to civilians, an argument echoed by the AJC and other supporters.

“Israel’s numerous actions in Gaza, which are clearly aimed at enabling it to fight Hamas while limiting incidental harm to civilians, should make it clear to all that its forces are acting without any such intention,” he said. the AJC.