Photo source : x.com / Taylor Brandon on Unsplash & Taylor Brandon on Unsplash (Left : Israel’s minister of finance Bezalel Smotrich & right Israeli Prime Minister
June 2, 2025
The Rise of Far-Right Zionism in Israel: Smotrich’s Vision for Gaza and the Expansion of Settlements
Far-Right Zionism Gains Momentum as Israeli Ministers Push for Gaza’s Destruction and West Bank Annexation
In a chilling declaration that underscores the growing influence of far-right Zionism in Israel, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich outlined his vision for the Gaza Strip in early May 2025, predicting that within six months, the Palestinian population would be confined to a narrow southern enclave while the rest of the territory lies in ruins.
Speaking at a conference on settlement policy in the illegal Ofra settlement in the occupied West Bank, Smotrich—a key figure in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition—vowed that Gaza would soon be “totally destroyed,” forcing Palestinians into despair and eventual mass emigration.
“Within a few months… Gaza will be totally destroyed,” Smotrich said. “The Gazan citizens will be concentrated in the south. They will be totally despairing, understanding that there is no hope and nothing to look for in Gaza, and will be looking for relocation to begin a new life in other places.”
His remarks align with a broader agenda pursued by Israel’s far-right government: the expansion of settlements, the rejection of Palestinian statehood, and the imposition of Israeli sovereignty over Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Critics warn that these policies amount to ethnic cleansing and a continuation of the genocide already underway in Gaza since October 2023.
A Far-Right Government Reshaping Israel and the Middle East
Smotrich’s comments are not isolated. They reflect a radical shift in Israeli politics, where ultranationalist, Jewish supremacist, and anti-Arab ideologies have moved from the fringes to the center of power. Since Netanyahu returned to office in late 2022 with the support of far-right parties like Otzma Yehudit and Smotrich’s Religious Zionism, the government has accelerated settlement expansion, escalated military aggression, and openly advocated for the displacement of Palestinians.
Other far-right ministers have made similarly incendiary remarks. Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu of Otzma Yehudit suggested in 2023 that dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza was “one of the possibilities.” Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter of Likud described the war on Gaza as “Gaza’s Nakba,” referencing the 1948 expulsion of Palestinians. Minister for the Advancement of Women May Golan, also of Likud, proudly declared in 2024, “I am personally proud of the ruins of Gaza, and that every baby, even 80 years from now, will tell their grandchildren what the Jews did.”
Photo source : Israel, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich
Settlement Expansion and West Bank Annexation
Under Smotrich’s leadership, Israel has approved 22 new Jewish settlements in the West Bank—the largest expansion in decades. Many of these settlements were previously illegal outposts but have now been legitimized by the government.
In a move that further entrenches apartheid policies, Smotrich has called for “sterile security zones” around Israeli settlements, banning Palestinians from entering, even to harvest olives. He has also vowed that Israel will “apply sovereignty” over the West Bank by 2026, effectively annexing the territory in violation of international law.
A History of Extremism and Violence
Smotrich’s ideology is rooted in Kahanism, a far-right Jewish nationalist movement inspired by the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose party was banned in Israel for racism. Smotrich has repeatedly made racist and violent statements. In 2015, he declared himself a “proud homophobe” and organized a “beast parade” to mock LGBTQ+ rights. In 2023, he denied the existence of a Palestinian people, calling them “2 million Nazis” in the West Bank. In 2024, he invoked biblical genocide rhetoric, quoting the verse “Thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek” in reference to Gaza.
His policies have emboldened settler violence, with attacks on Palestinians surging under government protection. The UN has documented 612 Palestinian deaths in the West Bank in the past year, alongside 1,779 demolitions of Palestinian homes.
International Condemnation and Calls for Sanctions
The European Union’s foreign policy chief has called for sanctions against Israeli ministers over their “hate messages” toward Palestinians. The UN has repeatedly condemned Israel’s settlement expansion as a war crime under international law.
Yet, with unwavering U.S. support, Netanyahu’s government continues its campaign of displacement and annexation. As Smotrich and his allies push for Gaza’s destruction and the West Bank’s formal annexation, the question remains: Will the world act before it’s too late?
For now, the far-right’s vision—a Greater Israel, built on the ruins of Palestinian homes—is becoming reality.
Photo source : /x.com/IsraeliPM ( Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today, in the Northern Gaza Strip)
Origins of Zionism in 19th-Century Europe
Zionism, originating in 19th-century Europe, is an ethnonationalist movement that sought to establish a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine. Its early ideologues envisioned a sovereign Jewish state with a Jewish demographic majority, achieved through mass Jewish immigration and the marginalization or displacement of the native Palestinian Arab population.
From its inception, Zionism presented a radical reimagining of Jewish identity. Rejecting the traditional religious foundations of Jewish life in the diaspora, Zionist leaders advanced a secular, nationalist vision. Figures like Theodor Herzl and Max Nordau employed racial and cultural constructs to justify the creation of a Jewish nation-state, often linking the vitality of Jewish identity to land, labor, and linguistic revival.
The strategy of “conquest of labor,” central to Zionist ideology, emphasized the exclusive employment of Jewish labor in agriculture and industry. This was seen as a means to create a self-sufficient Jewish economy and avoid what Zionists viewed as harmful dependency on Arab labor, which they associated with both exploitation and cultural dilution.
Crucially, the demographic goal of Zionism necessitated what was euphemistically termed “transfer”—a policy that many historians now recognize as forced displacement or ethnic cleansing. Prominent Israeli historians, including Benny Morris, have documented that the removal of Palestinians was viewed as an unavoidable component of creating and maintaining a Jewish majority in Palestine.
British Imperial Support and the Mandate Period
The British Balfour Declaration of 1917 and the subsequent Mandate for Palestine institutionalized Zionist objectives, privileging Jewish immigration and settlement while ignoring the political rights of the Arab majority. By the time of Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948, these objectives had culminated in the Nakba (catastrophe), during which over 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled, and their lands expropriated.
Photo source: Avi Ohayon / Government Press Office of Israel
The Six-Day War of 1967 marked a pivotal escalation in the occupation. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, and Golan Heights. This victory not only expanded Israel’s territorial control but also revived expansionist ideologies like “Greater Israel,” advocating permanent Israeli sovereignty over all of historical Palestine.
The concept of Greater Israel has held varying meanings throughout Jewish history, biblical interpretation, and political discourse. It refers to the idea of a Jewish state encompassing territories believed to be part of the historic, biblical or divinely promised Land of Israel. The term has been used in both religious and irredentist contexts, with definitions ranging from the internationally recognized borders of Israel (including disputed territories) to a much larger region stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates.
Settlements and the Deepening of Occupation
Settlements soon followed, particularly in the West Bank, where religious-nationalist groups viewed the territory as a divine inheritance. These policies entrenched a system of military occupation and legal apartheid, creating segregated zones for Israeli settlers and Palestinian residents.
Zionism’s framing of Jewish identity as inherently tied to land and statehood has had long-term implications. By rejecting the diasporic and religious definitions of Jewishness, it recast the Jewish people as a modern nation requiring territorial sovereignty. However, this nationalist redefinition came at the cost of another indigenous population, whose displacement remains unresolved.
