JERUSALEM 

An Israeli minister called Thursday for extending the occupation of the Gaza Strip “for a very long time” and annexing the occupied West Bank.

“I don’t believe there should be an exit strategy from Gaza,” Settlement Minister Orit Strook told Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

“We set very clear goals for this war, which is a sort of contract between the government, soldiers, and their families.”

Strook, a member of the far-right Jewish Power party, claimed that the Israeli military presence in Gaza aims to secure the release of Israeli captives in the enclave and dismantle Hamas’ military and organizational capabilities.

The far-right minister said that the most critical goal is to ensure that “Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.”

To achieve this, “Israel would need to maintain its presence there for a very long time,” she added.

Strook and her party have consistently opposed any cease-fire and prisoner exchange deal with Palestinian groups in Gaza, where its entire 2.3 million population are on the verge of famine.

Israel has continued its devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023. The onslaught has killed more than 43,700 victims and rendered the enclave almost uninhabitable.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

West Bank annexation

The Israeli minister also called for annexing the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Strook said she felt encouraged by the incoming US administration team announced by President-elect Donald Trump, including figures such as Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

“These appointments,” she said, “reflect positions that align not only with the Israeli government’s stance but also with the majority view of the Israeli people.”

She said her office is “working at full speed in preparation for implementing sovereignty” over the West Bank.

On Monday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that 2025 will mark the year of applying Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank, thus ending “the threat” of a Palestinian state.

When asked about the future status of Palestinians in the West Bank under annexation, Strook avoided specifics but claimed, “Everyone should have human rights, but the national rights in this land will belong solely to the people of Israel.”

Pressed on whether these rights would include voting, she clarified, “Full individual rights, but not national rights—the national rights to this land belong solely to the Jewish people.”

For decades, Israel has occupied Palestinian territories and opposed an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, a stance that contravenes multiple international resolutions.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio