Bezalel Smotrich

Israel creeps toward West Bank annexation as election season approaches - opinion

The de facto annexation of the West Bank is the natural byproduct of a political system where words are cheap and real power operates without transparency.

A Palestinian man walks past a fence decorated with Israeli flags installed by Jewish settlers in the northern West Bank. The de facto annexation of the West Bank is the natural byproduct of a political system where words are cheap and real power operates without transparency, the writer says.
A VIEW of Kibbutz Be’eri shows a destroyed home from a world left behind on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists, Palestinian civilians, UNWRA workers, and media members infiltrated Gaza border communities and massacred 1,200 people.

If the political elite keep performing for cameras, Israel will never be able to heal - editorial

Ra'am party head MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 12, 2026.

Hamas allegedly asked Mansour Abbas to ensure Netanyahu's re-election in 2021 - report

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett attends a Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, February 17, 2026

Former PM Naftali Bennett won't boycott Ben-Gvir or Smotrich, leaked recordings reveal


Supreme Court President responds to threats, vows judiciary will not be intimidated

Supreme Court President Justice Isaac Amit's letter follows comments issued by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in which the minister referred to Amit as a “violent, predatory megalomaniac."

Supreme Court President Isaac Amit arrives for a court hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, December 23, 2025

Smotrich: Supreme Court chief is 'violent megalomaniac,' gov’t will 'trample' court

The judicial branch's spokesperson said Smotrich's attack on Yitzhak Amit does not amount to "legitimate public discourse," in response to the finance minister.

Finance Minister and Religious Zionists Party head Bezalel Smotrich leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, December 29, 2025

Netanyahu's proposal to open both ways of Rafah crossing is rejected by coalition members - N12

Opening the Rafah crossing in both directions would let Palestinians who left Gaza enter again, but had to withdraw after pressure from coalition members.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ministers at a 40 signatures debate, at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on December 8, 2025.

Smotrich threatens to double tax on Israeli banks if consumer benefits canceled

According to the Finance Ministry, the tax will bring in NIS 1.13 billion in 2026, rising to NIS 1.5 billion each year from 2027 to 2029.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich arrives to a conference of the Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon in Jerusalem, December 25, 2025

Despite turbulent week, demand for commission of inquiry, bloc map remain stable - poll

Against the backdrop of the draft law, the establishment of a government commission of inquiry, and the interview by Eli Feldstein on the Qatargate affair, coalition parties maintain their strength.

Knesset members attend a plenum hearing, October 29, 2025; illustrative.

PMO workers involved in Qatargate 'must sit behind bars,' Smotrich says

Smotrich charged that Qatar is a state sponsor of terror, adding that Doha must be condemned for its "responsibility for what happened on October 7."

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich arrives to a conference of the Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon in Jerusalem, December 25, 2025

Smotrich urges Netanyahu to return from US ‘with de-facto sovereignty’ for West Bank

He cited settlement construction and administrative work as part of recent advances, adding that without a cabinet decision to apply sovereignty, Israel risks missing a “historic opportunity.”

Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich and Mateh Binyamin Regional Council Head Israel Ganz at ceremony marking official transfer of Civil Administration service units to permanent civilian complex, December 23, 2025.

'Smotrich is taking us hostage': Small-business owners protest new VAT, customs exemptions

Protesters also warned of the economic implications of the move for local commerce, employment, and business stability in Israel, saying that the move “will be remembered in infamy."

Small-business owners protest outside the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem against the import reform and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, December 23, 2025.

Palestinian trash burning is a national security threat, ministers Katz, Smotrich declare

Reportedly, the Palestinians lack sufficient local landfills, and the arrangement is supposed to involve them using trucks to transport their trash to other locations.

 Fire at illegal trash dumping ground caused dangerous air pollution level in Binyamin region of the West Bank, on August 7, 2023.

Israel grants legal status to 19 West Bank settlements, including two vacated in 2005 disengagement

The move follows government approval on Wednesday for the construction of 764 housing units across three settlements in the West Bank.

An Israeli flag flutters, with Ma'aleh Adumim is visible in the background, in the West Bank, August 14, 2025.