Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that he has dedicated his mission in life to only prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
He made his remarks via social media, further emphasizing his commitment to expanding Israeli control over the occupied West Bank through illegal construction of colonial outposts.
“My life’s mission is to build the Land of Israel and thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state that would endanger the State of Israel,” He framed this goal as not merely political but “national and existential,” highlighting the deep ideological commitment that drives his agenda.
Smotrich further underscored his commitment to solidifying Israeli dominance in the occupied West Bank, stating that in conjunction with his work as Finance Minister, he has also assumed oversight of civilian affairs in Judea and Samaria (the biblical appellation for the West Bank).
This declaration serves to bolster his agenda of expanding and fortifying settlements deemed illegal under international law.
Smotrich’s speech overtly repudiates the prospect of Palestinian statehood, and accentuates the enduring difficulties Palestinians encounter under Israeli occupation.
His commitment to safeguard the “half a million settlers on the frontline, under fire” is perceived as a stark ultimatum to Palestinians, implicitly threatening them with the specter of ethnic cleansing.
Recently, Israeli settlers in the West Bank have escalated their violent attacks on Palestinians; their assaults have been emboldened by Israeli leaders: Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
Senior Israeli military officials have accused Smotrich and Ben Gvir of fueling unrest and “provoking a regional war.”
Their extreme policies are seen as the “direct cause” for igniting confrontations with Palestinain resistance across the West Bank.
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