Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich Calls for War in Occupied West Bank
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared his mission for the next term is to "Judaize" the Negev and Galilee while eradicating crime and protection rackets in Israel's Arab sector.
- Citing a 20-year "illusion of quiet," Smotrich argued that security threats grew on borders while officials feared re-establishing the Jewish outpost Evyatar would ignite violence across Judea, Samaria, Gaza, and Lebanon.
- Smotrich cited Shin Bet data showing more than 1 million illegal weapons in Israel's Arab sector, including more than 1,000 machine guns and explosive charges.
- Amid political friction, Smotrich criticized Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Supreme Court Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit for blocking right-wing policies, while polls show neither bloc can assemble more than 60 seats in the 120-member Knesset.
- Regarding his actions surrounding Oct. 7, Smotrich stated, "I also bear responsibility," while emphasizing his work over the past three years managing a 150 billion shekel defense budget.
29 Articles
29 Articles
The Israeli Minister of Finance, Tesel Smutrich, stepped up his tone towards the occupied West Bank, calling for a war to be waged in the Gaza Strip, demanding the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, in conjunction with the direction of the Judicial Adviser of the Israeli Government to postpone the deadline for the submission of the E1 settlement tender until after the Knesset elections scheduled for 27 October next.
Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made a provocative statement, saying Israel should "wage war" in the occupied West Bank, adding, "We should do here what we did in Gaza." Smotrich stated his desire to annex the area from the "Yellow Line" in Gaza to the Litani River in Lebanon.
Smotrich: Israel should ‘go to war’ in West Bank, ‘do what we did in Gaza’
Religious Zionist Party leader calls for dismantling Palestinian Authority and eliminating terror infrastructure; accepts ‘collective responsibility’ for Oct. 7, defends government’s wartime record and vows crackdown on illegal weapons and crime
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