Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich clashed Tuesday morning with Ra’am MK Iman Khatib-Yassin after she accused the government of failing to address violence in Arab society and protested his conduct.
Smotrich asked her "Are we to blame that you're killing each other?"
His comments immediately sparked outrage in the chamber, with opposition lawmakers reminding him that, as a cabinet minister, he bears governmental responsibility for the issue.
Smotrich rejected the criticism, arguing that Arab political representatives had not taken sufficient ownership of the problem. He said the government was acting, while calling on Arab leaders to more clearly denounce violence and terrorism, including explicitly labeling Hamas as a terrorist organization. According to Smotrich, such messaging would help reinforce social norms against shootings and killings, beginning with public leadership and filtering down to younger generations.
Later in the day, tensions flared again during a heated exchange in the Finance Committee between Smotrich and UTJ MK Moshe Gafni. Smotrich suggested that Gafni’s faction was effectively acting as part of the opposition and hinted it might remain outside the next governing coalition.
Gafni fired back by accusing the finance minister of jeopardizing the livelihoods of hundreds of dairy-farming families. Smotrich countered that his policies were intended to benefit low-income households, saying they would save significant amounts of money under his approach.