Smotrich Calls for West Bank War, Says 'Do What We Did in Gaza' — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far-right Finance Minister, told Ynet News that Israel must "go to war in Judea and Samaria, to do there what we did in Gaza, to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, which is a terror authority."
- Smotrich told Israeli forces to dismantle "terror infrastructure" in the West Bank — "no terrorists, no weapons, no tunnels" — directly mirroring the military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded more than 1,330 settler-related attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank from January to late July, averaging six per day, the highest rate in about 20 years.
- Rights groups warned that settler attackers are increasingly armed with military-issued weaponry and wear military uniforms during assaults, blurring the line between settler and soldier.
- Israeli authorities announced a comprehensive military closure across the occupied West Bank for the Sukkot holiday, with heightened movement restrictions on Palestinians set to remain in place until October 3.
- Hundreds of Israelis stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem under heavy Israeli police protection on Sunday, entering through the Moroccan Gate and performing Talmudic rituals, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Why it matters: Smotrich's call to dismantle the Palestinian Authority — the governing body that coordinates with Israel on West Bank security — would eliminate a core Palestinian self-governance institution, and he framed it as the answer to settler attacks that the UN says have already surged to a 20-year high.
Ask SkimNews
