Smotrich says his 'life’s mission' is to thwart Palestinian state
4 Min Read
The far-right Israeli Finance Minister reaffirms his plans to establish full Israeli "sovereignty" over the occupied West Bank and counter any effort to establish a Palestinian state.
-
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at the Knesset, "Israel's" parliament, in occupied al-Quds, Palestine, on July 10, 2023. (AP)
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has reiterated his stance that the Israeli-occupied West Bank should be permanently integrated into the Israeli occupation entity rather than forming part of a Palestinian state, Israeli media reported.
Speaking at a meeting of the Religious Zionism party, Smotrich described his "life’s mission" as being to "thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state," as per the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
"We will establish sovereignty in Judea and Samaria [an Israeli name for the occupied West Bank], first on the ground and then through legislation," the Minister indicated, adding that he intends to "legalise the young settlements [illegal outposts]."
It is worth noting that the occupied West Bank was divided into three administrative sections under the 1993 Oslo Accords, with Area A managed by the Palestinian Authority, Area B under alleged shared sovereignty, and Area C – the largest area, accounting for around 60% of the occupied Palestinian territories – under full Israeli administrative and security control.
According to the accords, Area C, the only contiguous portion of the occupied West Bank with the most fertile land and valuable natural resources, was meant to be gradually transferred to Palestinian sovereignty, but this has never occurred.
Instead, Area C is now occupied by over 400,000 settlers, who control 70% of the area and prohibit Palestinian development.
In May 2023, Smotrich directed Israeli government ministries to prepare for an additional 500,000 Israeli settlers to move into the occupied West Bank, describing this as a “core mission” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
IOF hand power over West Bank to pro-settler officials under Smotrich
Smotrich's latest remarks come a week after The Guardian revealed that the Israeli occupation military discreetly transferred substantial legal authority in the occupied West Bank to Israeli extremist groups ganging up under the Israeli Finance Minister.
A directive published by the Israeli army on its website on May 29 shifts the responsibility for numerous bylaws within the so-called "Civil Administration", the Israeli body governing the West Bank, from the military to public employees working under Smotrich at the Security Ministry.
Most recently, The New York Times reported that Smotrich was recorded telling supporters of the settler movement that the government is involved in a covert effort to alter how "Israel" administers the West Bank.
The newspaper indicated that the recording was from an event earlier in the month where Smotrich told supporters that the aim was preventing the West Bank from becoming part of a Palestinian state.
A spokesperson for Smotrich confirmed the authenticity of the recording, which the newspaper said was provided by a researcher from the Peace Now anti-settlement group who attended the event on June 9.
In the recording, Smotrich detailed his intentions to shift authority from the Israeli military to pro-settler officials within the Security Ministry, leveraging the extensive powers granted to him through his Religious Zionism party's coalition agreement with Netanyahu's Likud.
Smotrich stated, "We established a distinct civilian system," noting that, to avoid international scrutiny, the government has permitted the Security Ministry to maintain its involvement in the process, as reported by the Times.
“It will be easier to swallow in the international and legal context,” he went on to say. “So that they won’t say that we are doing annexation here.”
Smotrich also revealed that Netanyahu was "full on" with the plan.
