While Israel’s government has been vague about its vision for what happens to the Gaza Strip — and the roughly two and a half million Palestinians who live there — after the war, the country’s far-right settler movement has a very clear idea of what it wants.
Over the weekend, thousands of right-wing activists attended the “Settlement Brings Security” conference in Jerusalem. On display in the foyer was a huge green map of Gaza, dotted with clusters of proposed Jewish settlements.
The map showed a Star of David placed on top of Gaza City. Prior to Israel’s recent assault, which drove out most of its population, it was Gaza’s largest community, with 600,000 Palestinian residents.
Organizers at the conference stood behind booths handing out T-shirts and brochures inviting potential settlers to make early plans to relocate.
Israeli settler organizer Daniella Weiss spoke at the Settlement Brings Security conference in Jerusalem. (Adrian Di Virgilio/CBC)
“Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu left us an opening for returning to Gaza,” said chief settler organizer Daniella Weiss, one of the movement’s most prominent voices. “He invites this pressure that you see here today,” she told CBC News at the event.
The implication was that the conference was actually part of a broader — but not yet public — Israeli government strategy to occupy the Palestinian territory when the war ends.
A powerful movement
Officially, Netanyahu does not support resettlement of Gaza, saying in November it was “not a realistic goal.”
But underscoring how politically powerful the settler movement has become in Israel, nearly a third of Netanyahu’s cabinet ministers as well as up to 15 additional Knesset members, including members of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, attended Settlement Brings Security.
Israeli conference pushing Gaza settlements draws international condemnation
A controversial gathering promoting the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza to build Jewish settlements that was attended by high-ranking Israeli officials received international condemnation.
Among the highest-profile attendees were National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom are reviled by many Israelis on the political left and centre, who accuse them of being racists.
“If you don’t want another 7th of October, you have to return home and control the territory,” Ben-Gvir told the crowd in a keynote address.
Establishing Jewish settlements in Gaza would be illegal under international law, and the forced removal of Palestinians from their communities would amount to a war crime.
Nonetheless, Israeli political watchers say within a society struggling to deal with the trauma of the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, which killed about 1,200 people, the idea of expanding Jewish communities into Gaza under the supervision of Israel’s military is seeing growing support.
Palestinians displaced by the Israel air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip take shelter near the border fence with Egypt in Rafah, on Jan. 24. (Hatem Ali/The Associated Press)
“We can no longer look at this as some kind of fringe phenomena,” said Dahlia Scheindlin, an Israeli-Canadian pollster and political analyst based in Tel Aviv.
“Even if the idea [of settling Gaza] sounds far-fetched right now, we have to realize that over time, Israel has developed a tradition of beginning with what seem like extreme policies on the margins and [them] then creeping into the mainstream,” Scheindlin told CBC News.
“I would expect that this government over the next number of years will make efforts to increasingly legitimize the idea of Israel occupying the Gaza Strip and rebuilding settlements, and then little by little, try to lay the groundwork to do it.”
Canada rejects settlers’ plans for Gaza
Scheindlin says political surveys done in Israel in the months following the Oct. 7 attack showed surprising strength in the notion of rebuilding Jewish settlements in Gaza — from roughly a quarter of those polled to 40 per cent, depending on the question.
Netanyahu’s refusal to consider two-state solution could extend war, UN says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has doubled down on refusing to consider a two-state solution, something the United Nations says will likely extend the war in Gaza.
The Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, West Bank, condemned the settlers’ conference and the presence of government cabinet ministers, saying the event “openly and publicly endorsed genocide, war crimes and the forcible transfer of the Palestinian people.”
Canada’s Global Affairs department issued a statement saying that “Canada rejects any proposal that calls for the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and the establishment of additional settlements. Such inflammatory rhetoric undermines prospects for lasting peace.”
White House spokesman John Kirby said the United States is also strongly opposed to the plans floated by the settlers.
“Irresponsible, reckless, incendiary,” Kirby told reporters. “We have made clear that there can be no reduction in Gaza territory.”
According to the UN, some 700,000 Israeli settlers live in more than 270 settlements scattered across Palestinian areas of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Much of the world, including the Canadian government, considers these settlements to be illegal and the most significant obstacle toward the creation of a Palestinian state.
Israel occupied the Gaza Strip between 1967 and 2005, when it withdrew its military and forcibly evacuated 21 Jewish settlements in the territory.
Avi Farhan, centre, was forced to leave an Israeli settlement in Gaza in 2005, when it was evacuated and demolished after Israel’s military occupation of the territory ended. He told CBC News he longs to return. (Adrian Di Virgilio/CBC News)
Avi Farhan, 77, was among those evacuees, and he told CBC News at the conference that he longed to return.
“If the Palestinians change their way of thinking, we can build a riviera from Ashkelon to El Arish that will be as successful as the others,” he said.
But the vision for most of the would-be settlers at the event did not include sharing the land.
“The only thing that will bring security [for Israel] is Jewish settlements in Gaza going along with our [defence forces] ruling the place,” said Malkere Balhi.
War has displaced hundreds of thousands
Israel’s air and ground assaults on Gaza have left the territory in ruins. Gaza’s health ministry says more than 26,750 Palestinians have been killed in the war so far, the vast majority of them civilians.
A recent study by the World Bank concluded 45 per cent of buildings in Gaza are likely damaged beyond repair, and it’s unclear whether hundreds of thousands of people who’ve been forced out of their homes will be able to return.
Many on Israel’s right have an unshakable belief that the 2005 withdrawal helped Hamas embed itself in Gaza and directly led to the attacks of Oct. 7. What would happen to the more than 2.3 million Palestinians who now live there is something they don’t bother with.
Palestinians react during a protest against Israeli settlements near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sept. 15, 2023. (Raneen Sawafta/Reuters)
In his speech at the conference, Ben-Gvir said, “We must encourage voluntary migration.”
When CBC News asked Israeli lawmaker Moshe Feiglin, leader of the far-right Zehut Party, if he believed Palestinians should be forcibly removed from Gaza, he answered “absolutely.”
Beyond the conference, many Israelis express frustration or anger that the settlement issue is being discussed while the fighting is still going on. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said such talk was a “disgrace” and illustrated how Netanyahu’s government had become captured by extremists.
Relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza are also not pleased. Ofri Bibs, whose brother is being held by Hamas militants, said scenes at the conference of ministers dancing and celebrating a potential return to the territory amounted to “dancing on the blood of the kidnapped and the blood of the soldiers who are killed there.”
Scheindlin, the political analyst, says the strong turnout to the event — estimated to be up to 5,000 people — should serve as a warning to Canada and other supporters of Israel.
“What it should say to Israel’s allies is, listen to what the intentions really are. This is the kind of direction the government might actually take.”
Vancouver Canucks winger Dakota Joshua has announced he’ll miss the start of training camp following surgery for testicular cancer.
Joshua said in a statement posted to social media by the team Tuesday that he felt a lump on one of his testicles this summer and later had surgery to successfully remove the tumour.
The 28-year-old from Dearborn, Mich., said he plans on returning to play “as soon as possible” and is “working hard every day” to rejoin his teammates.
Joshua said the last several weeks have been “extremely challenging” and encouraged men to get checked regularly for testicular cancer.
The six-foot-three, 206-pound forward had a career-high 18 goals and 14 assists in 63 games for the Canucks last season and signed a new four-year, US$13-million deal with Vancouver at the end of June.
The Canucks are set to open their training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
TORONTO – Coach John Herdman isn’t putting too much stock in the fact that Toronto FC, since losing 4-0 in Columbus on July 6, has posted a better league record than the defending MLS champion.
Toronto, which beat visiting Austin 2-1 on Saturday, has won four of six league outings (4-2-0) since that setback at Lower.com Field while the Crew are 3-2-2.
“I don’t put any credence (in that),” said Herdman. “I just look at their squad and I salivate.”
Its easy to see why.
Columbus provided a league-high five players to the MLS all-star game on its home field in July in defenders Rudy Camacho and Steven Moreira, midfielder/captain Darlington Nagbe and forwards Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi.
Herdman sees layers of talent behind those all-stars.
“You see the way that they’re able to almost carbon-copy players. One comes in, another goes out … and they feel like they have a very similar profile. So to be able to take (Christian) Ramirez out and then bring (Canadian forward Jacen) Russell-Rowe in as a power forward, you look and go ‘Whoa, that’s good to have.'”
Federico Bernardeschi was Toronto’s lone all-star.
Columbus (14-5-8) comes to BMO Field on Wednesday in third place in the Eastern Conference, five places and 14 points ahead of Toronto (11-15-3). A playoff position already clinched, the Crew are hoping to leapfrog Cincinnati into second spot.
Coach Wilfried Nancy is looking forward to matching wits against Herdman.
“John is going to cook (up) something,” the Frenchman said with a belly laugh. “I know John. When we played a game in (the) pre-season, it wasn’t a pre-season game. It was a real game. But this is John. That’s why I like him, because he’s intense all the time.”
“They’re going to try to go all-in. They’re going to try to press us, they’re going to try to match us,” he added. “They know exactly the way we want to play so we’ll have to be clever and creative also.”
Herdman, meanwhile, says TFC will have to play error-free football.
While the Crew have failed to score in their last two outings (a 4-0 loss to visiting Seattle and 0-0 draw at rival FC Cincinnati), Toronto is hurting in its backline.
Nicksoen Gomis and Henry Wingo both left the Austin game early with hamstring injuries with Herdman estimating that Gomis will be out three to four weeks and Wingo 10-12 days. Veteran Kevin Long missed the Austin game after tweaking his hamstring in training and will undergo a fitness test ahead of the game.
Shane O’Neill, meanwhile, is suspended for yellow-card accumulation.
“A tricky situation,” said Herdman.
The Crew are a formidable opponent.
Columbus is tied with Real Salt Lake for fifth in the league in averaging 1.93 goals a game. Only Inter Miami (2.32), Portland Timbers (2.00), Los Angeles Galaxy (1.97) and Colorado Rapids (1.96) score more.
And Columbus boasts the league’s stingiest defence, conceding 1.04 goals a game. In contrast, the Toronto defence is tied for 22nd at 1.76 goals a game.
Toronto has conceded 51 goals, 23 more than Columbus, which has collected more points (7-3-4, 25 points) on the road in league play this season than Toronto has at home (7-7-0, 21 points).
Columbus’ roster also includes Canadian wingback Mo Farsi, who scored in the July win over Toronto.
The Columbus game is the first of four in an 11-day stretch that will see TFC club visit Colorado on Saturday, Vancouver on Sept. 25 in the Canadian Championship final and Chicago on Sept. 28. Toronto will then close out the regular season at home to the New York Red Bulls on Oct. 2 and Inter Miami on Oct. 5.
If the playoffs were to start tomorrow, Toronto would face ninth-place D.C. United in a wild-card matchup with the winner advancing to take on the East’s top seed — currently Miami — in the best-of-three first round.
Herdman would like a different scenario, with his eyes set on overtaking seventh-place Charlotte, which has two points and a game in hand over Toronto. The seventh-place side takes on No. 2 — currently Cincinnati — in the first round.
“We’re looking up, not down at the moment,” said Herdman. “It’s a good motivation for the lads to see that next level on the table. And it has been raised. If we’re able to get to that point, it means you’re not headed down to Miami in the heat, which is a tough place to go.”
“We’ll take whatever comes,” he added. “But the critical part is to get into these playoffs. That’s the key mission at the moment.”
Toronto has not made the post-season since 2020 when, after finishing second overall in the Supporters’ Shield standings, it was upset by Nashville after extra time at the first hurdle.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins placed Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve Tuesday after the quarterback was diagnosed with his third concussion in two years.
Tagovailoa will be sidelined for at least four games. He will be eligible to return in Week 8 when the Dolphins host Arizona, but has to complete a series of tests and assessments required by the NFL’s concussion protocol before he can return to the field.
Tagovailoa was hurt last Thursday night when he collided with Buffalo defensive back Damar Hamlin. He ran for a first down and then initiated the contact by lowering his shoulder into Hamlin instead of sliding.
Players from both teams immediately motioned that Tagovailoa was hurt, and as he lay on the turf the quarterback exhibited some signs typically associated with a traumatic brain injury. He remained down on the field for a couple of minutes, got to his feet and walked to the sideline. The Dolphins diagnosed him with a concussion a few minutes later.
Coach Mike McDaniel has since cautioned against speculation on the quarterback’s future, stressing that he’s more focused on Tagovailoa getting healthy than what this latest concussion means for the team or for his career. Tagovailoa this week began the process of consulting neurologists about his health amid reports that he has no plans to retire.
Others around the NFL have offered their opinions on Tagovailoa’s future, including Raiders coach Antonio Pierce, who suggested he should retire.
“As far as Tua’s career is concerned, I think it’s an utmost priority of mine for Tua to speak on Tua’s career,” McDaniel said Monday. “Reports are reports. As far as I’m concerned, I’m just worried about the human being and where that’s at day to day. I’ll let Tua be the champion of his own career.”
McDaniel said Tagovailoa was at the team’s practice facility on Monday, greeting teammates and working with trainers.
“He’s doing good, man. Talked to him, he’s in good spirits,” receiver Jaylen Waddle said Monday. “(He’s) got the team in good spirits and everybody praying for him and hoping (for his) health.”
Head injuries have become a familiar, scary occurrence throughout Tagovailoa’s career.
In a September 2022 game against the Bills, he took a hit from linebacker Matt Milano, which caused him to slam to the ground. He appeared disoriented afterward and stumbled as he tried to get to his feet. He was cleared to return to that game and later said it was a back injury that caused the stumble. He was not diagnosed with a concussion.
Four days later, he got hit again during a Thursday night game at Cincinnati in which he was briefly knocked unconscious and was taken off the field on a stretcher. As he lay on the turf, his fingers appeared to display the “fencing response,” an involuntary motion typically associated with a brain injury. That time, he was placed in the concussion protocol.
The NFL and the players’ union made changes to the concussion protocol after those two incidents with Tagovailoa. Players who have problems with balance or stability are now prohibited from returning to a game.
Tagovailoa briefly considered retirement, but instead returned and studied ways to better protect himself on the field, including taking jiu-jitsu classes ahead of the 2023 season.
Tagovailoa has said he spoke to numerous neurologists who told him they did not believe he would be more susceptible to head injuries than any other player moving forward, nor would he be at a higher risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head. He was also diagnosed with a concussion while in college at Alabama.
With Tagovailoa sidelined, the Dolphins will go with backup Skylar Thompson when play at Seattle on Sunday. Miami also signed Tyler Huntley off the Ravens’ practice squad.
