Just one week before the elections, Religious Zionism is stepping up its campaign and reaching out to new audiences. In his first-ever interview with the popular Abu Ali Express Telegram channel, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich outlined his positions on security, settlement policy, and the economy.
During the interview, Smotrich addressed a wide range of issues, including his call to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, his ambitious plans for developing the Negev and Galilee, the evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar, his performance as Finance Minister during the war, the “settler violence” campaign, and the controversy surrounding haredi military conscription.
On the Palestinian Authority and the Oslo Accords, Smotrich stated: “The Palestinian Authority finances and encourages terrorism. It is also behind the delegitimization campaign against the settlement movement and orchestrated provocations that drag us into confrontations and generate a massive BDS campaign against the State of Israel. It must be dismantled.”
On his vision for the Negev and Galilee, Smotrich emphasized the importance of establishing new communities and agricultural farms to strengthen Israel’s presence and security in these regions.
“We need to establish communities and farms to secure the territory and create both security and a sense of security. When our farms are spread throughout the Negev, there will suddenly be far less smuggling. The same applies to the north. We need to establish a presence on the ground, change perceptions, and create a sense of success.”
AFSI Insight
AFSI welcomes Bezalel Smotrich’s call to cancel the Oslo Accords and dismantle the Palestinian Authority. Oslo’s failed framework has undermined Israel’s security and emboldened those seeking to divide the Jewish homeland. AFSI has long advocated ending the Oslo process, rejecting the two-state agenda, and asserting Jewish sovereignty over Judea and Samaria as essential to Israel’s security and future.