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Middle East Eye
7 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Smotrich poses next to 'Death to Arabs' graffiti in illegal West Bank settlement
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posed near graffiti that called for "Death to Arabs" on Thursday, as he visited an illegal West Bank settlement that was recently recognised by the Israeli government. Smotrich's visit to Sa-Nur, which sits south of the Palestinian city of Jenin, came after the Israeli government quietly recognised the settlement as one of four that would be placed under the control of the Shomron Regional Council. Sa-Nur, Kadim, Ganim and Homesh were evacuated unilaterally by Israel in 2005, without coordination with the Palestinian Authority, during Israel's "disengagement" from Gaza and parts of the occupied West Bank. Images from Thursday's visit showed Smotrich standing near a wall bearing the slogans: "The people of Israel return to Sa-Nur!" and "Death to Arabs." The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Smotrich had told settlers who accompanied him on the visit that Israelis will "return to the places we evacuated in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters A version of the photo later shared by the Shomron Regional Council had the racist graffiti cropped out. In response to the initial photograph, Gilad Kariv, a parliamentarian from the Democrats Party, called the image not just a "Hasbara [public diplomacy] disaster, it is a moral disaster." "This photo may have been taken on top of the hill at Sa-Nur, but it reflects the abyss into which the Netanyahu, Smotrich and Ben Gvir government is dragging us - an abyss of annexation, terrible violence and international isolation," Kariv said. Extremist Israeli politicians and right-wing settlers hold Gaza annexation conference Read More » Smotrich has vowed to restore evacuated settlements like Sa-Nur as part of his broader push to expand settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, despite international opposition and concerns over escalating tensions. In May, Israel's government approved the construction of 22 new settlements in the West Bank, including the legalisation of nine unauthorised outposts. The Sa-Nur settlement has symbolic and geographical importance due to its location near the ancient Palestinian village of Sanur, which includes the ancient fortress of Al-Jarrar and a vast agricultural meadow known as Maraj Sanur. Jamal Juma', a coordinator at the Palestinian grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, told Middle East Eye that Israel's government was hell-bent on reoccupying areas they withdrew from in 2005. "They've already reoccupied Homesh, so that's why this criminal settler minister was there [in Sa-Nur] to declare the return of settlers," Juma' said. "With all that's going on in the West Bank - colonisation, ethnic cleansing and the siege on Palestinians - [Israel is] fast taking steps towards finishing their plan to ghettoise Palestinians and annex the West Bank," he added. Far right in ascendancy Israel's far right is ascendant in the wake of the war on Gaza, and has several ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet. Last month, Smotrich vowed that "Gaza will be entirely destroyed" and its Palestinian population will "leave in great numbers to third countries". How Netanyahu's plan to occupy Gaza is bringing the Israeli army to its knees Read More » He also declared that Israel would "apply sovereignty" in the occupied West Bank before the next Israeli general elections in October 2026. A majority of Israelis back the expulsion of all Palestinians from territory controlled by Israel, according to a recent poll by Pennsylvania State University. The survey, conducted in March and published by Haaretz newspaper, found that 56 percent of Israelis support the forced expulsion of Palestinian citizens of Israel. Last month, Israel's parliament approved a non-binding motion that called for the annexation of the occupied West Bank. The symbolic gesture does not affect the legal status of the West Bank, but it will help build momentum towards a possible move on the territory, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967.
Roya News
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
Smotrich poses next to 'death to Arabs' graffiti in West Bank settlement
"Israeli" Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited the West Bank settlement of Sa-Nur on Thursday to mark its recent official recognition by the government, appearing in photos near graffiti that included the slogan "Death to Arabs." The visit comes after a previously undisclosed cabinet decision recognized Sa-Nur, one of four settlements evacuated during the 2005 disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, as an official community under the Shomron Regional Council. Images from the visit showed Smotrich standing near a wall bearing slogans such as 'The people of Israel return to Sa-Nur!' and 'Death to Arabs.' A version of the photo later shared by the council had the offensive text cropped out. Smotrich has vowed to restore evacuated settlements like Sa-Nur, part of his broader push to expand settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, despite international opposition and concerns over escalating tensions.
Middle East Eye
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Released Israeli captive joins settlers in raid of West Bank tomb
Recently released Israeli captive Agam Berger joined settlers in an overnight raid of Joseph's Tomb in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. Berger, a surveillance officer in the Israeli army, had worked at Israel's Nahal Oz base for two days when she was taken captive by Hamas during the 7 October 2023 attack. She was released on 30 January as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, after 482 days in Gaza. 'I want to say thank you to you, the soldiers. Take care of yourselves, you are truly heroes,' the 20-year-old said during the Sunday night visit to the tomb, which is a contested site subject to regular incursions by Israeli settlers. Berger was accompanied by her mother Meirav, Elyakim Levanon, a prominent settler rabbi, and Yossi Dagan, the far-right head of settler organisation the Shomron Regional Council. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The group was escorted by a force made up of Israeli army, border police and police personnel. At Joseph's Tomb, Berger lit a candle and was presented with a certificate by Dagan that included the first words the captive said following her release: 'I chose the path of faith.' 'May God bring salvation through the IDF [Israeli army], the Israeli government, and the entire nation of Israel, and bring all the hostages home with a great victory," Dagan said. Berger's mother, Meirav, said she had tried to go to the tomb twice since 7 October, but had not managed to. Settler incursions at Joseph's Tomb Palestinians and Israelis lay claim to counter-narratives about the religious and national significance of Joseph's Tomb. Palestinians believe it is the burial site of a cleric who lived in the nearby Balata neighbourhood in the early 1900s. Israelis say the shrine contains the tomb of the Prophet Joseph, a figure revered in both Islamic and Jewish traditions. Israeli forces kill Palestinian after settler tomb incursion in Nablus Read More » The tomb is located inside Area A of the West Bank, which is officially under the complete control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). But the Israeli military regularly and brutally enters the area, despite Palestinian opposition. Before Israel's war on Gaza, busloads of settlers would visit Joseph's Tomb accompanied by the military on a monthly basis. These settler incursions have resulted in the killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces. Dagan, who accompanied Berger on their incursion, has previously called for the ethnic cleansing and resettlement of Gaza. In January 2024, speaking at a Gaza resettlement conference, he attributed the 7 October attacks to the failings of the Oslo Accord. 'Oslo is dead, the people of Israel live,' he declared, to cheers. When she was released, Berger told Israel's Kan Bet radio station that during her time in captivity, it had been hard for her and her fellow women captives to hear about Israeli opposition to a hostage deal.
