The Palestinian Authority Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement warning of what it described as “the danger posed by statements made by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich."
Officials in Ramallah claimed that the minister’s remarks, in which he called for launching a war against terrorist organizations in Judea and Samaria, treating the area as Israel treated the Gaza Strip, and taking action to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, constitute “an explicit call to escalate the offensive and commit further crimes against the Palestinian people."
Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded: “The terror authority, which supports and encourages terrorism, understands the significance of the settlement revolution. We are determined to continue it, strengthen the security of the State of Israel, and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian terror state - and the next step is already on the horizon: bringing the settlement revolution to the Negev and the Galilee."
“Continuing the settlement revolution and bringing it to the Negev and the Galilee will only be possible with a large and strong Religious Zionism party. It will not be possible at all if a dangerous left-wing government led by Eisenkot-Liberman-Golan comes to power, which openly declares its intention to evacuate the communities and farms we established and establish a terror state in the heart of the State of Israel," Smotrich added.