Latest news with #Bezalel Smotrich
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Smotrich, Netanyahu in crisis after decision on Gaza humanitarian ceasefire
According to the official, if Smotrich didn't receive 'real and concrete' guarantees from the prime minister, the Religious Zionist Party could be "on its way out" of the government. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are in a 'real' crisis and the relations between them are 'very, very tense and complicated,' following the prime minister's decision over the weekend without Smotrich's knowledge to enact 'localized humanitarian ceasefires' in Gaza, an official told The Jerusalem Post on Monday. According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, if Smotrich did not receive 'real and concrete' guarantees from the prime minister regarding defeating Hamas, Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party could be 'on its way out' of the government. With the coalition currently numbering just 60 MKs following the departure of the two haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties earlier in July, the departure of Smotrich's seven MKs would likely topple the government. At press time on Monday evening, the usually vocal Smotrich had yet to comment publicly on the political tension or on the decision regarding the ceasefires, which the IDF announced early on Sunday morning. The silence was especially notable due to Smotrich's harsh criticism throughout the war against distribution of aid by non-Israeli entities. The RZP leader said in April that he would leave the government if 'even a grain' of aid reached Hamas, and has repeatedly argued that the terrorist group's confiscation of humanitarian aid has enabled it to survive. The silence was also notable in lieu of comments by his fellow party member and National Security Cabinet member, Settlements and National Missions Minister Orit Strock. In an interview on Channel 14 on Sunday evening, Strock said that there was an 'unexplainable' gap between decisions made by the NSC and the reality of what is happening. She said that the ceasefire looked like 'surrender' and that if Netanyahu did not give an adequate explanation 'in deeds, not just words,' there was 'nothing for me to do in the government,' Strock said. Smotrich was 'strongly opposed' to the decision A member of Smotrich's party confirmed on Sunday that he had not been part of the decision regarding the humanitarian ceasefires and had not had prior knowledge of it. He was 'strongly opposed' to the decision, a spokesperson added on Monday in response to a query. The spokesperson added that Smotrich's silence was related to ongoing discussions regarding a potential decision that would 'make it [the silence] clear in hindsight.' The spokesperson said he could not expand further. Smotrich initially scheduled a closed-door meeting of his party for Monday evening to discuss the issue. However, the meeting was postponed due to a security consultation called by the prime minister, the spokesperson confirmed. In a conversation with the Post on Monday afternoon, RZP faction leader MK Ohad Tal said, 'We don't know how to live with a reality of war in Gaza that isn't moving toward decisive victory – while aid continues to be transferred to Hamas on the backs of our soldiers, and we're achieving neither the defeat of Hamas nor the return of the hostages.' Tal continued, 'The next two days will be very critical in determining whether we stay or not. If Bezalel [Smotrich] hears from the prime minister not just a theoretical willingness to defeat Hamas, but a clear, organized work plan backed militarily and diplomatically for victory, then we'll be happy to stay. But if that's not the case, we'll have no choice and will have to go to an election.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'We're promoting a new strategy': Smotrich breaks silence on Netanyahu's Gaza plan
Smotrich's comments come after Prime Minister Netanyahu enabled "localized humanitarian ceasefires" in the Gaza Strip, with MK Orit Strock saying she may leave the government following the decision. Israel has a strategic plan currently underway in the Gaza Strip, Finance Minister (Religious Zionism Party) Bezalel Smotrich told Religious Zionism party MKs on Sunday night, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement to enable "localized humanitarian ceasefires" in the Strip. While not elaborating on the details, he said that, "In war, it's not right to make political calculations. We will be tested by the results – Hamas's decision. "We are advancing a good strategy, but it's not advisable to expand on it right now. In a short time, we will know if it pays off and where we are headed." Netanyahu's decision led National Missions Minister Orit Strock, a member of Smotrich's party, to consider leaving the government. Attending conference for 'plan' to resettle in Gaza These comments come less than a week after he participated in a conference titled "Riviera in Gaza – From Vision to Reality" in the Knesset, where a "practical plan" for establishing a permanent Jewish presence in the Gaza Strip was presented. At the conference, Smotrich stated, "The chief of staff told me a week ago that we need to annex the northern border of the Gaza Strip for security reasons." The conference organizers said that "social, legal, security, and logistical models" for the settlement plan were presented. The conference was attended by right-wing Knesset members, community leaders from the Gaza border region, former security officials, bereaved families, and hostage representatives. Smotrich met with bereaved families and relatives of hostages still in the Gaza Strip in recent weeks to discuss the ongoing negotiations for a deal with Hamas, amid reports claiming that he may oppose a deal and even consider resigning from the government. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Smotrich to join a front against the deal. In response, the Finance Ministry stated: "We regularly meet with bereaved families and relatives of hostages. We firmly oppose the deal and believe it will take us backward." Eliav Breuer and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report. Solve the daily Crossword
South China Morning Post
22-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Israeli far-right leaders debate Gaza ‘riviera' plans, drawing criticism from Palestinians
Some Israeli far-right leaders held a public meeting on Tuesday to discuss redeveloping Gaza into a tourist-friendly 'riviera', as Palestinians face a worsening humanitarian crisis in the devastated territory. The meeting, titled 'The Riviera in Gaza: From Vision to Reality', was held in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, under the auspices of some of its most hardline members. It saw the participation of firebrand Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, as well as activist Daniella Weiss, a vocal proponent of Jewish settlements in Gaza, among others. The name of the event evokes a proposal floated by US President Donald Trump in February to turn the war-ravaged territory into 'the Riviera of the Middle East ' after moving out its Palestinian residents and putting it under American control. The idea drew swift condemnation from across the Arab world, and from Palestinians themselves, for whom any effort to force them off their land would recall the 'Nakba', or catastrophe – the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel's creation in 1948. Participants in Tuesday's Knesset meeting discussed a 'master plan' drafted by Weiss's organisation to re-establish a permanent Jewish presence in Gaza.
Al Jazeera
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Slovenia bars far-right Israeli ministers for ‘genocidal statements'
Slovenia has banned far-right Israeli cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country. Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon declared the pair personae non gratae on Thursday in what she said was a first for a European Union country. 'We are breaking new ground,' she said. In a statement, the Slovenian government accused Israel's National Security Minister Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Smotrich of inciting 'extreme violence and serious violations of the human rights of Palestinians' with 'their genocidal statements'. It also noted that both cabinet ministers 'publicly advocate the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the forced evictions of Palestinians, and call for violence against the civilian Palestinian population'. There was no immediate reaction from Israel's government. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, key coalition partners in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, have drawn international criticism for their hard-line stance on the Gaza war and on illegal settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. Smotrich, who lives in a West Bank settlement, has supported the expansion of settlements and has called for the territory's annexation. Settlements are illegal under international law. Last July, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel's continued presence in occupied Palestinian territory was unlawful, a decision Israel has ignored. Smotrich has previously called for 'total annihilation' in Gaza and said that a Palestinian town in the West Bank should be 'wiped out'. Ben-Gvir was an open admirer of Baruch Goldstein, an Israeli who massacred 29 Palestinians as they prayed in Hebron in 1994. He has been convicted multiple times by Israeli courts for 'incitement to racism'. Despite the ministers' positions, Netanyahu relies heavily on support from the two and from their factions in parliament for the survival of his government. On May 21, Slovenia's President Natasa Pirc Musar told the European Parliament that the EU needed to take stronger action against Israel, condemning 'the genocide' in Gaza. Fajon said Slovenia had decided to make the move after EU foreign ministers did not agree on joint action against Israel over charges of human rights violations at a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday. She said other measures were being prepared, without going into detail. In June, Britain, Norway, Australia, New Zealand and Canada imposed sanctions on the two Israeli ministers, accusing them of inciting violence against Palestinians. Last year, Slovenia announced it was recognising a Palestinian state, following on the heels of Norway, Spain, and the Republic of Ireland.
Reuters
11-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Israel eyes deeper economic ties with India, finalising investment protection deal
JERUSALEM, July 8 (Reuters) - Israel and India are finalising an investment protection agreement and expect to sign it in the coming months, Israel's Finance Ministry said on Tuesday. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and the ministry's chief economist Shmuel Abramzon discussed the issue, which it did not elaborate on, and other economic matters with Indian Ambassador to Israel J.P. Singh. "Deepening economic ties with India is one of the goals I have set," Smotrich said after the meeting in Jerusalem, calling India a "true friend of Israel." An investment protection agreement is a treaty in which countries aim to reduce the perceived risk of investing in each other, such as by offering protections against unfair treatment or removing restrictions on transferring capital and profits. India, the ministry noted, has become in recent years one of Israel's most important trade partners globally and especially in Asia, and the volume of trade and investments between the two countries is expected to increase sharply in the coming years in light of their strengthening diplomatic and security relations. Bilateral trade between India and Israel in 2024 came to almost $4 billion. "In recent years, we have witnessed a strengthening of economic ties between us, including in the fields of defence exports and infrastructure," Smotrich said. "The potential for further strengthening our economic cooperation is immense. It can leverage our shared technological capabilities, India's demographic scale, and the geo-strategic position of both countries."
