The leader of the Religious Zionism party says he will work to extinguish the differences between living in a West Bank settlement and within Israel’s internationally recognized borders
Bezalel Smotrich, center, Israel’s new finance minister and the leader of the Religious Zionist PartyTheir aim is to pave the way for a million more Jewish settlers and to gradually eliminate any differences between life in the settlements and life within Israel’s internationally recognized borders. Their ultimate goal, they say, is to foreclose the possibility of a future Palestinian state.
“Even if there’s no de jure annexation, merely a de facto one, it will become harder and harder to expect support even from our allies in this,” said Col. Sharvit-Baruch. Mr. Smotrich, who declined interview requests, advocates for Israel to one day formally annex the occupied territory without giving its 2.6 million Palestinian residents full political rights, which left-wing Israeli critics say would mean the end of Israeli democracy.
Israel conquered the West Bank during the 1967 Mideast war. The territory is considered the heart of the ancient Jewish presence in the Holy Land and has deep spiritual significance for religious Jews like Mr. Smotrich.for decades. Most live in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority, which was created in the 1990s as part of a peace process aimed at solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The peace process between the two sides has remained deadlocked since 2014.
As part of a coalition agreement with Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Smotrich was given control of an Israeli military body that regulates planning for both settlements and Palestinian construction in parts of the West Bank where Israel maintains civilian control. Mr. Netanyahu said he has veto power over any changes Mr. Smotrich plans to make.
“We want to be treated like other citizens, with the same rights, just like anyone in Ra’anana or Herzliya, and that’s not the situation today,” said Hananel Dorani, an Israeli settler leader from Kedumim, naming wealthy cities within Israel’s internationally recognized borders.
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