Chairman of the Religious Zionism Party and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich opened his party's faction meeting today (Monday) with remarks concerning the ongoing war.
He referenced reserve soldier Roee Konkoul, praising him while noting that he does not belong to Smotrich’s political camp. Smotrich quoted Konkoul, who described a difficult weekend in Khan Yunis and addressed calls to halt the fighting: "I understand the calls to stop everything. They stem from the pain of loss, from the agonizing thoughts about the hostages, and from the fatigue and weariness brought on by the protracted war."
Nonetheless, Smotrich emphasized that Konkoul urges not to cease the maneuvering in Gaza but rather "to intensify and accelerate it."
Smotrich highlighted that the new method for distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza is proving effective. "It is simply remarkable to see how changing the method of humanitarian aid distribution in the Gaza Strip—from supplying the enemy during wartime to a controlled and supervised distribution—demonstrates how the right operational change can deeply fracture Hamas's psychological resilience."
He sharply criticized the defense echelon: "I can’t stop thinking about one thing that torments me—why I didn’t succeed in overturning more tables to make this happen earlier. For a year and a half I demanded this, in writing and verbally, again and again. But those who blocked it all along were Gallant and Herzi—and the damage they caused with this move is immense. Now it’s finally happening, and it is changing the strategic and psychological course of the war."
On the political front, Smotrich called on his coalition partners to act responsibly: "The State of Israel is at a critical juncture. We are at war—not only for our physical security, but for our very existence as a free people in our land. This is no ordinary time, and it is certainly not a time for elections." He warned: "I call on all my coalition partners: set aside your disagreements. Show responsibility. History will not forgive those who dismantle the government and drag the country into elections in the midst of war—before the hostages have returned and before our goals in Gaza and Iran have been fully achieved."