After the Blout controversy: Minister Israel Katz met with the forum calling for the cancellation of the Oslo Accords
The leaders of the "Returning Home" forum met with the Minister of Defense at his office in the Kirya. Katz: "The farm project is a central pillar of the State of Israel's new security concept after October 7th."
Minister of Defense Israel Katz met today, Tuesday, at his office in the Kirya with the leaders of the "Returning Home" forum, Eliav Libi, Yehoshua Sherman, and his son Daniel. The minister clarified that the defense establishment will continue to expand the agricultural farm project in Judea and Samaria and establish additional settlement points.
According to Katz, "The farm project is a central pillar of the State of Israel's new security concept after October 7th." He stated:
"The agricultural farms are not just a settlement project, they are a security asset of the highest order, which strengthens our hold on the territory, prevents the takeover of strategic spaces, and contributes to the security of the citizens of Israel."
The meeting comes shortly after the controversy surrounding Katz's intention to replace the Central Command Chief, Avi Blout, a move that sparked criticism even within the settlement movement and was ultimately not carried out. Blout is considered popular among council heads, farmers, and residents of the farms in Judea and Samaria, among other things because of his perception that sees the farms and the civilian presence on the ground as a security asset.
Against this background, the meeting can also be seen as an attempt by Katz to re-strengthen the connection with the settlement movement and the farm residents, and to clarify that from his perspective, the support for their expansion remains a central part of the Ministry of Defense's policy.
However, the meeting may have additional significance. The "Returning Home" forum does not deal only with agricultural farms and the expansion of settlements in Area C. In recent months, its leaders have been promoting a much broader and more controversial concept: the cancellation of the Oslo Accords and a fundamental change to the political division created by them in Judea and Samaria.
Israeli presence beyond Area C
As part of the "One Hundred Points Plan" promoted by the forum, its members seek to establish a sequence of Israeli holding points throughout Judea and Samaria, and to expand the Israeli presence also to the open areas of A and B. The plan does not seek to evacuate the Palestinian population from the cities and villages, but rather to create an Israeli presence and settlement in the open spaces even beyond Area C.
Members of the forum have already worked to promote a political discussion on the subject, based on the concept that the Oslo Accords and the division into Areas A, B, and C cannot remain the basis for the reality in Judea and Samaria in the long term. They met with several ministers and cabinet members who said they would work to promote a discussion in the cabinet on the subject even before the elections.
The fact that Katz chose to meet specifically with the leadership of this organization is therefore interesting not only in the context of the farms, but also against the background of the broader agenda he is promoting.
