Smotrich: Annex Gaza, Lebanon, Wage War in West Bank — SkimNews
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- Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far-right Finance Minister, called on September 27, 2026 for Israel to annex Gaza territory up to the 'yellow line' and southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, arguing that ending the war along current lines would not deter future attacks.
- Smotrich also urged Israel to 'go to war in Judea and Samaria' to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, using the biblical term for the West Bank during a Ynet podcast.
- Smotrich leads a far-right party that advocates full West Bank annexation and serves in Prime Minister Netanyahu's right-wing coalition ahead of October 27 elections in which Netanyahu faces a tight contest.
- The Palestinian Authority condemned Smotrich's remarks as 'an explicit call for escalation, annexation and displacement' aimed at undermining prospects for an independent Palestinian state.
- Since the Gaza war began, at least 1,110 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli soldiers or settlers and 49 Israelis killed in Palestinian attacks, according to an AFP tally.
- More than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements deemed illegal under international law, among roughly three million Palestinians, and settler attacks have surged with little legal consequence.
- Netanyahu has dismissed settler violence as perpetrated by 'a handful of rioters,' even as various Israeli leaders across both coalition and opposition oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Why it matters: Smotrich's annexation and war calls land weeks before Israel's October 27 election, amplifying far-right demands at a moment when 1,110 Palestinians have already been killed in the West Bank and more than 500,000 settlers live there. With settler violence surging and the Palestinian Authority itself targeted for dismantlement, the election outcome could entrench the occupation rather than ease it, and any Israeli campaign in Lebanon would risk opening a second front beyond Gaza.
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