Israeli Settler Movement Gains Strength Amid Regional Conflicts and U.S. Support
Introduction
In April 2026, a rally near the Gaza border, organized by the hardline group Nachala, showed the growing power of the Israeli settler movement. Speakers, including activist Hadar Bar-Chai, called for the return of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, which is currently home to about two million Palestinians. The event took place during ongoing military operations, a fragile ceasefire, and a broader political shift in Israel toward the far right, supported by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Main Body
The rally, held at the "Black Arrow" site near the Gaza border, attracted several hundred people, some carrying guns. Bar-Chai stated that the border fence would be removed and that Jews would again live in Gaza. He specifically mentioned the destroyed city of Beit Hanoun as a future neighborhood of the Israeli city of Sderot. The march moved along the fence while an Israeli drone watched from above. The event was organized by Nachala, a group founded after Israel''s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza. The settler movement, once seen as a fringe element, now holds important positions in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu''s coalition government. These include Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. This political change followed the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, which killed 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages. The resulting war has left over 70,000 Palestinians dead, according to reports, and the Israeli military controls 53% of the Gaza Strip under the current ceasefire terms. The settler movement''s goals go beyond Gaza. In the West Bank, the settler population has grown from 250,000 at the time of the Oslo Accords to more than 730,000 today. New outposts, often illegal under Israeli law, are being quickly connected to infrastructure and given official status. Violence has increased: in March 2026, settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Qaryut, killing two brothers, Mohammed and Fahim Moammar, and injuring a third, Jamil. The attack happened after settlers built a road on land next to the family''s olive grove. In a separate incident, Israeli soldiers from an ultra-Orthodox unit reportedly assaulted a CNN crew. Palestinian officials, including Deputy Foreign Minister Omar Awadallah, claimed that Israel acts without fear of punishment, enabled by U.S. support. In southern Lebanon, Israel has created a security zone that extends 5 to 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory, preventing the return of residents from 55 villages. Settlers tried to cross into Lebanon in December 2025 and February 2026 but were stopped by the military. Daniella Weiss, a prominent settler leader sanctioned by Canada, stated that she has families ready to move into Gaza and imagines a territory with over a million Jews and no Palestinians. She also expressed plans for settlement in Lebanon and Syria. U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee, a self-described Christian Zionist, has supported Israeli control over Area C of the West Bank and suggested that Israel could declare sovereignty over the entire territory. The Trump administration lifted sanctions on the Hilltop Youth group, which had been imposed by the Biden administration. Different views within Israel were also clear. Hanna Barag, a co-founder of the monitoring group Machsom Watch, said she no longer recognizes the Israel of her youth and described the current state as an "apartheid" regime. She argued that the far right''s rise is due to Netanyahu''s need for coalition partners to avoid his corruption trial, combined with the trauma of October 7. Rachel Ben Dor, a former activist with the Four Mothers group that successfully pushed for Israel''s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, expressed shock at the return of Israeli troops to southern Lebanon. She suggested that the pro-peace left might even support Netanyahu to prevent the far right from gaining more power. Pollster Mitchell Barak noted that Israeli society is now divided between the right and the further right, with younger voters favoring a strong, expansionist security policy.
Conclusion
The settler movement, encouraged by its political influence and U.S. support, is pursuing a plan to expand territory in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria. Although the movement faces opposition from a weakened peace camp at home and international criticism, its momentum seems to be maintained by the current political alignment and ongoing regional conflicts. The situation remains uncertain, with the possibility of further escalation as Israel continues military operations and settlement construction.