Tel Aviv [Israel], December 26: Israel will never withdraw all its troops from the Gaza Strip, Defence Minister Israel Katz said during a conference arranged by a pro-settler newspaper on Thursday.
"In Gaza, Israel will never fully withdraw. There will be a significant security area inside the Gaza Strip," Katz said during a conference organized by the Makor Rishon newspaper.
This would remain the case, even in the event of a transition to the second phase of US President Donald Trump's peace plan and disarmament by Hamas, Katz said.
The security zone would run within the Gaza Strip, Katz said. He added that in the northern part of the coastal strip, Israeli settlement cores could be created that would protect the security zone.
Katz, a member of the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, was once again contradicting elements of the Trump peace plan, which provides for a phased withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.
Following criticism of similar remarks made on Tuesday, Katz appeared to draw back initially. But on Thursday he told the conference: "Reverse is something that I only do when driving."
Meanwhile, Israel plans to invest 350 billion shekels ($110 billion) over the next decade to make its domestic arms industry more independent, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday, according to Israeli media reports.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony for newly trained air force pilots, Netanyahu said the programme was aimed at reducing Israel's reliance on foreign suppliers, "including friends," the Times of Israel reported.
Netanyahu referred in his remarks to Germany, which he said - like other countries - was seeking to buy "more and more" weapons systems from Israel. Germany temporarily halted some arms exports to Israel following the devastating war in Gaza, which has left thousands of civilians dead, a move that strained relations with Jerusalem.
Other European countries and the United States, Israel's closest ally, also imposed various restrictions, drawing criticism from Netanyahu. The prime minister said the new defence investment programme was intended to ensure Israel's strategic autonomy in arms production.
Last week, Germany and Israel signed a contract to expand the Arrow 3 missile defence system supplied to the German armed forces, designed to protect against potential Russian missile attacks.
Israeli officials have said the overall value of the deal - including the base system - amounts to about GBP5.7 billion ($6.7 billion), making it the largest arms deal in Israel's history.
Source: Qatar Tribune