“A house on the beach is not a dream!” », We can read on an image shared online for several days. The Hebrew text overlooks a visual of Gaza in ruins, on which plans of modern houses have been affixed, in what looks like an architect’s view. This publication caused many Internet users to react on social networks, in the context of the Israeli response after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. We understand that it is in fact the promotion of an Israeli real estate project on the Gaza Strip.
Below the picture, a text in Hebrew reads: “At Harey Zahav, we are working to prepare the ground for a return to Gush Katif. Several of our collaborators began working on rehabilitating the area, removing waste and evicting invaders. We hope that in the near future all the abductees will be able to return home safely, that our soldiers will return home and that we will be able to begin construction in the Gaza Strip, in all areas of Gush Katif. »
A second imageshared with the first this time shows a map of the Gaza Strip, with the presence of several buildings and roads located in a supposed future colony named Névé Fatif.
Images published by an Israeli real estate company
These images are real visuals published by an Israeli real estate company, named Harey Zahav (Mountains of Gold) on its Instagram account, on December 11 and 13, 2023.
Specializing in the construction of housing in Israeli settlements, the company explains on its website that it “has made it its mission to build settlements and neighborhoods in the region of Judea and Samaria for various target communities by offering various construction projects. »
The term “return to Gush Katif” refers to a former Israeli settlement of the same name established in the Gaza Strip until 2005, when the area was evacuated as part of the Gaza Strip disengagement plan .
Company owner calls it a ‘joke’
Harey Zahav’s Instagram account published on December 18, 2023 a excerpt from a program broadcast on the Israeli television channel Reshet 13. The excerpt in question contains a telephone interview with the company’s owner, Zeev Epstein, about these publications.
From the outset, the latter justifies himself: “It’s a joke. We are not the State of Israel. We are a private company, of course a private company cannot make such decisions.” Before adding “if the State of Israel goes back there, and launches calls for tenders, of course we will do it. But that’s not the case, and of course, not in our hands. It’s a wink, let’s call it that.”
Contacted by 20 Minutes, the Harey Zahav company has not yet responded.
The question of the future of the Gaza Strip is debated in Israel
Concerning the future of the Gaza Strip, it is true that some Israelis, including political figures, are pleading in favor of a return of the settlements. This is notably the case of Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who recently declared that Israel “should completely occupy the Gaza Strip” at the end of the war, as reported by the newspaper The Times of Israel.
In last Octoberthe same newspaper reported the display of signs demanding the return of Israel to the Gaza Strip by a collective in Jerusalem.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far stated: “We are not seeking to conquer Gaza, we are not seeking to occupy Gaza, we are not seeking to govern Gaza. In the near future, we must ensure that this does not happen again,” in an interview with the American channel Fox News last November.
Still concerning the future of the Gaza Strip, he nevertheless explained toABC News that Israel would have “overall responsibility for security” in Gaza, “for an indefinite period”.
While the war is still going on in Gaza, the Israeli authorities also announced on December 6, 2023 the construction authorization for 1,800 new housing units in the settlements in East Jerusalem. A decision condemned by France in a publication on X (Twitter).