'Regavim': Israel's New Rafah Border Site Carries Coded Annexation Message

Gaza/Egypt - Ekhbary News Agency

'Regavim': Israel's New Rafah Border Site Carries Coded Annexation Message

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt has partially reopened for a limited number of Palestinians, following an 18-month closure. This reopening is accompanied by new restrictions aimed at controlling the movement of returnees. Critically, the Israeli army has established a checkpoint named 'Regavim' in an area under its control, located outside the main crossing, specifically for those entering Gaza from Egypt. As the initial flow of individuals passed through on Monday, official Israeli military documents revealed a naming convention that suggests the facility is no longer being treated as a mere border crossing, but rather as an operation geared towards population management.

In an official statement released on its website on Sunday, the Israeli army announced the completion of what it termed the 'Regavim Inspection Nekez'. While the Israeli military may frame this technical language as routine operational procedure, analysts consulted by Al Jazeera argue that the deliberate choice of the words 'Regavim' and 'Nekez' signifies Israel's underlying long-term intentions. These experts contend that the chosen terms reflect a dual strategy: one that invokes Zionist nostalgia to assert claims over the land, and another that employs engineering terminology to dehumanize the Palestinian population.

According to analyst Mohannad Mustafa, the designation 'Regavim' is far from arbitrary; it is an intentional ideological trigger designed to resonate with the far-right base of the Israeli government. Mustafa explained that in Hebrew, 'Regavim' translates to 'clods of earth' or 'patches of arable land'. However, he emphasized that its significance extends beyond its literal meaning, serving as a potent trigger for the collective Zionist memory associated with 'land redemption'. This term is deeply intertwined with the Zionist children's song and poem 'Dunam Po Ve Dunam Sham' (A Dunam Here, a Dunam There) by Joshua Friedman, which became an anthem for the early Zionist settlement movement. The lyrics explicitly celebrate the acquisition of land, stating: 'Dunam here and dunam there / Clod after clod (Regev ahar regev) / Thus we shall redeem the land of the people.'

Mustafa further elaborated that by officially naming the Rafah corridor 'Regavim', the army is transmitting a subliminal message. He posits that this naming frames the Israeli presence in Gaza not as a temporary security mission, but as a form of 'redeeming the land', directly mirroring the ideology espoused by early pioneers. Beyond this evocation of historical nostalgia, the name 'Regavim' also establishes a direct link to contemporary architects of Israel's annexation policies: the Regavim Movement itself. This far-right non-governmental organization (NGO), co-founded in 2006 by current Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has been a principal driving force behind the expansion of Israeli control over the occupied West Bank. A 2023 investigation by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz detailed how this organization effectively functions as an 'intelligence officer' for the state, utilizing drones and field data to map and facilitate the demolition of Palestinian structures in Area C, which constitutes 61 percent of the occupied West Bank under full Israeli control.

Mustafa argued that applying the name 'Regavim' to the Rafah crossing signals an intention to transfer the 'civil administration' model, successfully implemented in the West Bank, to the Gaza Strip. This suggests that Gaza is no longer to be considered a separate entity but rather a territory slated for management using the same methodologies employed to thwart Palestinian statehood in the West Bank, referred to by Israelis as 'Judea and Samaria'. Analyst Ihab Jabareen takes the interpretation of 'Regavim' a step further. He posits that the term has evolved beyond its linguistic roots into a modern 'political brand' for the settlement movement and is being strategically deployed to normalize a protracted Israeli presence in the region.

However, Jabareen highlighted that the use of the term 'Nekez' in the Israeli military statement portends even graver implications. He explained that while 'Regavim' functions as a political brand, 'Nekez' reveals the cold, calculating engineering mindset of the military. 'Nekez' is identified as a hydraulic term, referring to a drainage point used for managing sewage, floodwaters, or irrigation systems – distinctly not a term associated with processing human beings at a border crossing. Jabareen contended that characterizing a human border crossing as a 'drain' reflects three chilling assumptions that have now been formalized within military doctrine: Firstly, that Palestinians in Gaza are viewed merely as a 'human flow' to be managed. Secondly, that Gaza itself is perceived as an engineering problem, akin to managing water or waste. Thirdly, that the solutions must be purely technical, transforming a political issue into an engineering challenge solvable by controlling flows.

'This is colder and more dangerous than standard settlement rhetoric,' Jabareen warned, asserting that it 'converts the political issue of Gaza into a permanent technical function.' Both analysts concurred that the official adoption of these two terms points towards a strategic reality that falls short of both full withdrawal and declared annexation. Jabareen described it as a formula for 'quiet control'. He explained that Israel does not need to declare immediate settlement to exert control over the territory. By treating the land as 'Regavim' (soil to be held) and the people as a 'Nekez' (a flow to be filtered), Israel is establishing a long-term reality where Gaza becomes an administered space, perpetually denied status as an independent entity. Mustafa echoed this sentiment, stating, 'The name 'Regavim' tells the settlers: 'We have returned to the land.' And the official designation 'Nekez' tells the security establishment: 'We have the valve to turn the human flow on or off at will.'

Ekhbary News Agency