Palestinian Council Head Rohi Fattouh Condemns Israeli Calls for Full Gaza Control and Settlement

Rohi Fattouh, president of the Palestinian National Council, denounced Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s proposals to impose a complete Israeli authority over the Gaza Strip, establish a military administration and resume settlement activity there. He described the proposals as an official program to perpetuate occupation, colonisation, ethnic cleansing, forced displacement and apartheid, not merely a transient political stance. Fattouh said Smotrich and the Israeli right‑wing faction serve as the political and ideological reference for extremist settlement groups such as “Shabiba al‑Tilal” and “Tadfi‘ al‑Thaman,” which carry out killings, arson and intimidation of Palestinians while enjoying ministerial protection, funding and legal cover. He highlighted ongoing coordinated attacks on West Bank villages, including burning farmland and assaulting residents, as evidence of a coordinated policy linking the Israeli military and extremist settlers. Fattouh urged the international community to move beyond statements, imposing binding sanctions on Israel’s leadership, holding officials accountable before international courts and clearly designating Israel as an apartheid state subject to diplomatic isolation.