Smotrich calls for Gaza-style war in West Bank — SkimNews
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- Bezalel Smotrich told Ynet News Israel should "go to war" in the occupied West Bank and "do there what we did in Gaza," calling for the military to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, which he labeled a "terror authority," and to eliminate "terror infrastructure" including weapons and tunnels.
- Smotrich also called for annexing territory in Gaza up to the so-called "Yellow Line" — covering roughly 58% of the enclave per Israeli military maps — and up to the Litani River in southern Lebanon, saying it would make Israel's enemies "pay a price" for October 7, 2023.
- Since the Gaza "ceasefire" took effect, Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,408 Palestinians, bringing the total since October 2023 to at least 74,000, according to the enclave's health ministry; the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Smotrich's remarks "an explicit invitation to escalate the aggression."
- Adalah legal director Suhad Bishara said Smotrich's remarks amount to "a public declaration of intent to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against Palestinians in the West Bank," noting that refugee camps he boasts of "clearing out" have already been destroyed with residents forcibly displaced.
- Smotrich, who has been sanctioned by several Western countries and faces an ICC arrest warrant request over forced displacement orders, announced a "revolution in settlement" expansion in July after Israel approved 13 new settlements in the central West Bank, following June's announcement of 2,162 new Jewish homes near Jerusalem.
- Analysts Mairav Zonszein (International Crisis Group) and Yossi Mekelberg (Chatham House) dismissed the election-rhetoric framing, with Zonszein noting Smotrich's settlement expansion and settler violence over four years already reflect this vision, and Mekelberg warning that endorsement at next month's election could codify it as official policy.
Why it matters: Adalah's legal director calls Smotrich's remarks a 'public declaration of intent to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide' against West Bank Palestinians, not mere campaign bluster. With elections a month away and 13 new West Bank settlements approved in July, the comments reflect ongoing government policy rather than a departure — and his Lebanon annexation call, which most coverage downplays, signals ambitions extending well beyond Gaza and the West Bank.
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