Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the far-right Religious Zionism party, announced a broad plan to “Judaize” the Galilee and the Negev under the slogan “Yes. We Judaize!” The plan targets the Arab presence in the north and south, the two regions with large Arab populations. It includes the establishment of dozens of Jewish communities and farms and the expansion of existing settlements. It also calls for the cancellation of development plans for Arab communities, in what critics describe as an openly discriminatory policy targeting Israel’s Arab citizens. Speaking at an election rally, Smotrich said that following what he described as initial results showing the success of his “Decisive Plan” for the West Bank, his party would demand, in the next government, control of the Planning Administration and the Israel Land Authority in order to impose sweeping changes on planning policy and land allocation.
