Religious Zionist Party chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich began a meeting with his faction on Monday by discussing the war in Gaza, the Prime Minister’s upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump, and the high cost of living.
“The Prime Minister will soon, God willing, travel to the White House to meet Israel’s friend, President Trump,” Smotrich said. “The Prime Minister must ensure in that meeting that - just as we committed - we do not stop until we achieve the primary objective of the war that we defined: the destruction of Hamas. We promised total victory, and we are not there yet.”
He explained that while there are many reasons for the delay, the return of the hostages being one of the primary ones, the focus now must be on the next steps. Smotrich outlined six clear conditions: “There will be no reconstruction without demilitarization. This is mandated by President Trump’s plan, and we must not deviate from it by even an inch. There is no such thing as partial demilitarization, fictitious demilitarization, or watered-down demilitarization. Hamas cannot exist in Gaza at the end of this war. There will be no involvement of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza - neither directly nor indirectly.”
He continued, “There will be no entry of multinational forces into our part of Gaza. International forces must dismantle Hamas and demilitarize Gaza, and they must do so in the red zone of the Strip. The State of Israel will not pay in any way for Gaza’s reconstruction. If anything, the Gazans should bear the enormous costs of the war they forced upon us in the October 7 massacre. There must be a clear and short deadline for attempts to dismantle Hamas the easy way, after which Israel will have full freedom to act on its own.”
Smotrich emphasized that the situation in Judea and Samaria should also be addressed during the meeting with Trump. “We are carrying out a revolution on the ground in Judea and Samaria, but in terms of security and diplomacy, we are still far from internalizing and implementing the lessons of October 7. Oslo was a mistake, the establishment of the Palestinian Authority was a mistake, and the PA is a terrorist entity that must be eradicated.”
He added, “So that Kfar Saba does not, God forbid, become Kfar Aza, and Netanya does not become Be’eri, and Nitzanei Oz does not become Nahal Oz, we must - absolutely must - dismantle the Palestinian Authority, collect the weapons, and apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.”
Smotrich then referenced President Trump’s previous remarks: “President Trump himself compared Israel to the tiny tip of a pen on the large desk in the Oval Office, explaining better than anyone how indefensible these borders are.”
He continued, “If we fail to act now in these areas, we will be responsible, God forbid, for the next October 7. As a member of the government, I bear responsibility for October 7, and I have no intention of bearing responsibility for the next one.”
Smotrich then turned to economic matters, particularly the cost of living. “The cost of living is deeply important to me. The budget now coming to the Knesset after government approval includes very significant measures to address it.”
Regarding dairy reform, he said, “The dairy reform proves its necessity and urgency more with each passing day. While the public is being frightened by lies about the collapse of the dairy industry, they are being denied this basic consumer product, and some think this will convince the public that the reform is a mistake. It’s exactly the opposite - the absolute, monopolistic control you hold over the dairy market only proves how desperately it must be opened.”
He added that additional reforms are expected soon: “The import reform, which will be signed in the coming days, will also reduce costs for the citizens of Israel. The same goes for the deposit reform and additional steps we will soon take to address the cost of living.”
“The reason we are doing this is simple - I am determined to prove to everyone that things can be affordable here,” he concluded.