In an interview aired on the Israeli news site Ynet’s podcast, Finance Minister and Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich called for war in the West Bank, using the Israeli terms Judea and Samaria. He urged Israel to do there what it had done in Gaza and to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, which he called a “terrorist authority.” These descriptions reflect the minister’s position.
Smotrich also demanded the formal annexation of 60% of the Gaza Strip, an area the report says is under Israeli military control. He additionally called for taking a strip of Lebanese land extending up to 30 kilometres into Lebanon. He argued that Israel’s adversaries must pay a high price for Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
The remarks came during campaigning ahead of Knesset elections scheduled for Oct. 27. Smotrich is seeking support among voters from the settler community. He has previously advocated Israeli control over more than 80% of the West Bank and faster expansion of Jewish settlements there.
The comments were made amid sustained violence in the West Bank since the war began in October 2023. The violence has included Israeli military operations, armed clashes and nationalist attacks. Official Israeli statistics recorded 660 crimes committed by settlers in the first half of 2026.
The Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry said 87 Palestinians had been killed in the West Bank by July 25, including 21 killed directly in attacks by Jewish settlers, according to the ministry. Those figures are separate from Smotrich’s remarks and describe the backdrop against which he made his proposals.