Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on Tuesday for permanent Israeli sovereignty over territory held in Gaza and Lebanon, presenting territorial losses as a necessary penalty for enemies that initiate wars.
“A side that started a war and lost it will lose territory to the victorious side,” Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism Party, told the first National Conservatism Conference (NatCon) held in Jerusalem.
In his address, which came three weeks before Israel’s Oct. 27 general election, Smotrich outlined a postwar agenda combining territorial sovereignty, voluntary emigration from Gaza and greater Israeli independence from Washington.
“I demand that the State of Israel permanently apply its sovereignty over the territories it currently holds, both in Gaza and in Lebanon,” he said.
Smotrich argued that Israel’s enemies have been able to regroup, rebuild and attack again after previous rounds of fighting because they ended along the same territorial lines as they began. Territorial losses would impose a lasting price for aggression and deter future wars, he said.
AFSI Insight
Smotrich’s call for permanent Israeli sovereignty in Gaza and Lebanon reflects a critical lesson from October 7: territory surrendered to enemies who seek Israel’s destruction becomes a launchpad for the next war. AFSI supports the principle that those who wage war against Israel must face lasting consequences—and that Israel must retain the freedom to control strategically vital territory. The same principle must apply even more strongly to Judea and Samaria, the historic heartland of Israel, where sovereignty and security are inseparable. Israel should not return to the failed cycle of withdrawals, temporary ceasefires and renewed terrorism.
Source:
Smotrich urges permanent Israeli sovereignty in Gaza, Lebanon, by Canaan Lidor/JNS, October 6, 2026