Israeli minister lays claim to Gaza, West Bank, calls Palestinians 'temporary guests'

The Israeli regime’s so-called minister of culture and sports has claimed that Gaza and the Occupied West Bank belong to Israelis and referred to Palestinians living there as “temporary guests” who “must leave” in time.

In a Thursday interview with the Kan public broadcaster, Miki Zohar, a member of the ruling Likud party, claimed Israel “is not occupying anything” and insisted that “Judea and Samaria are ours,” using the biblical term for the Occupied West Bank.

Asked about the Gaza Strip, Zohar rejected the notion of occupation there as well.

“Gaza is also ours. We are just letting them stay there as guests until a certain point, but Gaza is ours,” he said.

Zohar made the comments while explaining why he is considering denying funding to Israel’s film industry after the Ophir Award, Israel’s most prestigious film prize, went to “The Sea,” a movie about a Palestinian boy from the Occupied West Bank who is denied a permit to visit the beach.

Pressed by radio host Chen Liberman to justify the potential defunding, Zohar said the film portrayed Israel as an “apartheid state killing Palestinians.”

“If filmmakers wish to receive funds, they should produce films that Israelis like to see, not what Europeans like to see,” He added.

Zohar’s remarks echo Israel’s ongoing plans to expand its illegal settlements in both Gaza and the Occupied West Bank.

'We will never leave all of Gaza': Israel's war minister signals permanent occupation

In a clear violation of the ceasefire with Hamas, Israel’s war minister says the occupying regime will maintain a permanent presence in Gaza.

Late last month, Israel Katz, the Israeli minister of military affairs, announced, “We are located deep inside Gaza and we will never leave all of Gaza. There will never be such a thing.”

He added that in northern Gaza, “we will build Nahal units instead of the communities that were displaced [from Gaza in 2005].”

Nahal units, part of Israel’s armed forces, train settlers through pre-military preparation and volunteer programs, historically helping to establish illegal settlements throughout the occupied Palestinian territories.

Katz’s statements directly contradict the US-backed peace plan signed by Israel and the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas on October 10, 2025, which calls for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and forbids the re-establishment of settlements in the coastal territory.

Earlier, on December 8, Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich allocated over $830 million to build 17 new illegal settlements in the Occupied West Bank over the next five years.

The plan includes relocating military bases, constructing infrastructure, opening bypass roads, strengthening security systems, and installing caravans to house new settlers.

Funding also includes $100 million for settlement support, $130 million for upgrading existing infrastructure, and $100 million for local Israeli councils in the Occupied West Bank.

Expansion of settlements in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank is illegal under international law.

UN Security Council Resolution 2334, passed in 2016, states that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian land have “no legal validity” and violate international law.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and calling for the removal of all settlements from the Occupied West Bank and East al-Quds.

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