Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday evening following his remarks against Israeli policy in Judea and Samaria during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“The UN Secretary-General’s wild incitement gives a tailwind to terrorism," Smotrich wrote on X. “He is endangering the lives of half a million Jewish Israeli citizens living in Judea and Samaria."
Smotrich continued his criticism of Guterres, citing UNRWA’s activities: “Someone who heads the organization that funded and provided cover for UNRWA - the operational arm of the Hamas terrorist organization in the October 7 massacre - cannot preach to us about anything."
He then addressed the policy he is advancing in Judea and Samaria, declaring: “I am proud to be spearheading a settlement revolution in Judea and Samaria that is, in practice, eliminating the idea of a Palestinian state and strengthening Israel’s security."
Smotrich’s remarks came after Guterres sharply criticized Israel and developments in the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria during his speech.
“It is nearly three years since the abhorrent terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October," Guterres said, “but what followed was an onslaught on Palestinians in Gaza with a scale of killing and destruction unlike anything I have witnessed in my years as Secretary-General."
The UN Secretary-General then addressed Judea and Samaria, saying: “Meanwhile, violence, displacement and settlement expansion by Israel in the occupied West Bank are bulldozing the path to peace and raising the specter of ethnic cleansing. We cannot allow the two-state solution to disappear before our eyes."