Bezalel Smotrich is a far-right Israeli lawmaker and leader of the Religious Zionist Party, who currently serves as the country's finance minister as well as a minister in the Defense Ministry. In the past, Smotrich also served as transportation minister.
Smotrich is a highly divisive figure in Israeli politics, having been accused of racism, extremism, and homophobia. Smotrich has also gone on record saying that he is a "proud homophobe," staunch support for Israel's West Bank settlements, and rejects both the future existence of a Palestinian state as well as the existence of the Palestinian people.
Smotrich’s visit to Nir Oz offers Israelis a glimpse of compassion and resilience amid ongoing conflict and division.
Nearly 90 Democratic lawmakers urge Biden to sanction Israeli ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir for promoting settler violence and destabilizing the West Bank.
Israel faces a choice: Pursue diplomatically fradulent West Bank annexation or focus on Iran and regional security threats.
The United States has for decades backed a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians and has urged Israel not to expand settlements.
The national budget for 2025 will be around NIS 607.4 billion. The government has also approved budget adjustments totaling about NIS 37 billion.
Smotrich said that "after victory," Israel's economy will see "fantastic returns" for years. He did not detail what "victory" entailed or when it would be achieved.
These comments follow the return of the Knesset for winter session and reports regarding budget cuts for certain ministries.
Finance Minister Smotrich emotionally calls for shared IDF responsibility among the haredi community, emphasizing unity for Israel’s defense and survival.
When paired against Bennett, Netanyahu led with 38% suitability to Bennett’s 35%. Another 23% said neither candidate was suitable, and 4% were undecided.
Smotrich lamented the tide of deaths of IDF soldiers in the last few days but said that particular attention should be paid to the religious Zionist community.
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