Palestinian and Israeli sources have confirmed that Israel is making a concerted push to revive the defunct “Village Leagues” project—an initiative from the 1970s that sought to divide Palestinian areas in the West Bank into isolated cantons under Israeli control. The plan, which was fiercely opposed by Palestinians at the time, is now being reintroduced as part of Israel’s post-war vision for Gaza, sources say.
According to these sources, the initiative is being promoted by senior Israeli officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also holds a key role in the Defense Ministry and oversees the Civil Administration in the West Bank. Israel is also reportedly lobbying for support from the United States, several European nations, and regional Arab powers.
A former Israeli general involved in administering the occupied territories said the project, much like in 1978 during Prime Minister Menachem Begin’s tenure, enjoys no support among Palestinians today.
“Back then, Palestinians rejected the Village Leagues outright. Some of their leaders were even targeted and assassinated,” the general said. “Ironically, the Israeli right also opposed the initiative—especially when it began morphing into a political movement calling for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. They feared it might pave the way for a Palestinian state and instead pushed for expanding settlements.”
“Settlements were built in large numbers,” he continued. “At the same time, reports of widespread corruption among league leaders surfaced, further undermining their credibility. Eventually, the Israeli government dismantled the project.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has linked his ambitions in Gaza to US President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal for “voluntary migration.” In response to American demands for a clear “day after” plan for Gaza, Netanyahu has floated a modern-day version of the Village Leagues concept—though still tied to his insistence on a decisive military victory in Gaza and the West Bank, and a long-term Israeli military presence in the Strip.
Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party has signaled support for this strategy, including plans to establish settlements inside Gaza.
On the ground, Netanyahu and newly appointed Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi have already begun implementing a phased plan in Gaza. It includes the seizure of land—particularly in the northern part of the Strip—the forced displacement of as many civilians as possible, and the installation of local strongmen or “warlords” to manage small, isolated zones of governance.
This “Gaza model” is a practical extension of the “cantons plan” first proposed by far-right academic Mordechai Kedar. His blueprint called for the creation of Palestinian mini-emirates or enclaves with limited self-governance across the West Bank, under the overarching security control of Israel to ensure the protection and growth of Israeli settlements.
Asaf David, a leading expert on Israel and Middle East affairs, told Haaretz on Friday that this approach is the real-world application of Trump’s so-called “Deal of the Century.” While that plan paid lip service to a “Palestinian state,” David argues that the current trajectory suggests that a Trump administration would likely not only accept such a scheme—but actively promote it.
Israeli analysts warn that even if the US Congress were to restrain a future Trump administration after the midterm elections, or if a Democratic administration were to take office in four years, and even if Netanyahu’s government were to fall before the scheduled 2026 elections, the changes being made on the ground could be nearly irreversible.
