DayofPal– Extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich claimed that he ensured a resolution recognizing Palestinian statehood in the UN Security Council would not be passed during the interim period leading up to Donald Trump taking over the White House again in January.
He wrote in a post on X that Israel has thwarted a great threat to the settlements and the state of Israel by obstructing resolution recognizing Palestine, adding that “We will continue to develop the settlements, fortify Israel’s security and prevent the establishment of a terrorist state that will endanger our existence and the future of our children.”
Smotrich has repeatedly called for the military occupation of Gaza and is a staunch supporter of rapidly expanding Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, which are illegal under international law.
Speaking at a Yesha Council conference, Smotrich also urged Israel to use its favorable ties with the Trump administration to “encourage voluntary immigration” from Gaza, a term that Israel usually uses to describe the ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people. He claimed this could halve Gaza’s population within two years.
He, in addition, pushed for a full-scale occupation of Gaza. “It can and should be done,” he said, dismissing concerns about costs, which he estimated at “a few hundred million shekels at most.” Israeli broadcaster Kan quoted him saying, “Gaza must be conquered, and its population significantly reduced.”
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