Bezalel Smotrich

As Israel pushes back, Gaza becomes testing ground for emerging post-war governance - analysis

The emergence of a Palestinian technocratic governing committee alongside Trump’s US-backed Board of Peace has triggered sharp Israeli backlash, exposing cabinet rifts and deep unease.

Palestinians stand near the rubble in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, January 17, 2026
 MK Gadi Eisenkot attends a Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on the ultra-Orthodox draft law at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on June 24, 2024.

Gadi Eisenkot: Netanyahu ceded Gaza security, IDF must return to fighting

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich after a press conference at the ministry, December 4, 2025; illustrative.

Government submits 2026 budget to Knesset, Smotrich vows passage despite rifts

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich seen after a press conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem on December 4, 2025.

Smotrich: Thank you Trump for the help, but now Israel needs to control Gaza


Trump or Ben-Gvir? Netanyahu faces a historic trap in Washington - analysis

Prime Minister Netanyahu faces mounting pressure from Trump and his coalition as a detailed US plan seeks to end the Gaza war and pave a path to peace.

 US President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the entrance of the White House in Washington, U.S, February 4, 2025.

Lapid tells US gov't that Netanyahu has 'safety net from him for hostage deal, Gaza ceasefire'

Opposition leader Yair Lapid has offered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a safety net to pass a hostage deal and ceasefire bill in the Knesset several times in 2025.

Yair Lapid speaking at Knesset.

Right-wing ministers call for West Bank annexation after countries recognize Palestine

The politicians and regional heads call to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank come after the UK, Canada, Portugal, and Australia recognized a Palestinian state.

Israeli security forces near the scene where two Israelis were killed in a terror shooting attack at Allenby bridge, a crossing between West Bank and Jordan, September 18, 2025.

Smotrich: Gaza real estate 'bonanza' could finance war, rehab northern towns

“There’s a real estate bonanza there. This is how it pays for itself. I’ve started negotiations with the Americans. I’m not joking. I had a serious conversation with them," Smotrich said.

  Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, also attended by Argentine President Javier Milei (not pictured), in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025.

‘Shameful’: Smotrich faces uproar from bereaved families amid push for NIS 30b. defense budget rise

Bereaved families slammed Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for skipping a meeting on aid, as he pushed a NIS 30b defense budget increase.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a committee meeting on September 14, 2025.

Large majority of Israelis support Qatar strike on Hamas leaders, poll finds

In addition, the survey queried opinions on whether the strikes are likely to affect the chances of reaching a deal to release the remaining 48 hostages from Hamas's captivity in the Gaza Strip.

A BUILDING is damaged in the aftermath of an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha on Tuesday. The fact that such leaders sought safe harbor in a sovereign state does not mean they were no longer subject to punishment, says the writer.

Gov't coalition sees slight gains following Doha strikes - poll

A new poll shows a slight boost for Netanyahu’s coalition following the IDF’s strikes on Hamas in Qatar, amid terror attacks and IDF casualties, as well as widespread public support for the strikes.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the opening of the Knesset Museum, Jerusalem, August 11, 2025; illustrative.

Voices from the Arab press: Trump, Israel, and Gaza

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

US President Donald Trump speaks with the media on the day of the signing of an executive order to rename the Department of Defense the "Department of War", in the Oval Office, at the White House in Washington, DC, US, September 5, 2025.

PM Netanyahu signs West Bank settlement expansion plan, rules out Palestinian state

"There will never be a Palestinian state. This place is ours," Netanyahu said during a visit to the Maale Adumim settlement in the West Bank, where thousands of new housing units would be added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, along with other senior officals, sign a controverisal E1 "Roof Agreement" expansion plan in Maaleh Adumim.

EU reviewing deals with Israel, citing two-state solution threats, European diplomats tell 'Post'

Senior European officials are watching as the EU’s flagship vision - the two-state solution - disappears day by day, through both official declarations and actions on the ground.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reacts as she is applauded after delivering the State of the European Union address to the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, France, September 10, 2025.