Widespread backlash to Smotrich’s plan to settle one million Jews in the Negev and Galilee

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s plan to settle one million Jews and establish 40 new communities in the Negev and Galilee has sparked significant uproar among Israel’s Arab population and in regional media. Critics have described the proposal as a far-reaching attempt to alter the demographic and geographic balance of the region, with some activists accusing Smotrich of pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing. Hadash chairman Yousef Jabareen condemned the plan as racist and akin to apartheid. Political activist Nivin Abu Rahmoun warned that the announcement should not be dismissed as mere election propaganda, but viewed as part of a broader project to reshape the reality of the Negev and Galilee. The newspaper Al-Ittihad published a harsh editorial labeling the plan a declaration of war against Arab citizens and urged the Arab public to mobilize at the polls to defeat the current government. Meanwhile, international outlets such as the Saudi-based Al-Hadath channel reported that the plan is part of a wider effort by the minister to overhaul public institutions through legislation.