Bezalel Smotrich: "We must go to war in Judea and Samaria"
In an interview with "120 VeAchat", the political podcast of ynet, the chairman of Religious Zionism addresses warnings about the volatility of the area: "I asked the Chief of Staff, are you looking for a…
Assessment
Smotrich is publicly pushing for a full military campaign in the West Bank, directly challenging the military's assessment that the area is volatile. He claims he pressed the chief of staff on whether he is looking for a pretext for war. On the October 7 failure, he blames Netanyahu for many mistakes but says he tried to limit them. He calls Ofer Winter's actions reckless and a gamble on Israeli security. On the defense budget, he insists the army must streamline because Israel has other needs. He also blames Goldknopf and Deri for harming Jewish settlement in the Galilee and says he plans to take charge of the fight against crime.