Smotrich dismisses opposition celebrations, vows ‘Jewish settlements will rise in Gaza’

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Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich addresses supporters at his Religious Zionism party’s election headquarters in Jerusalem, following the release of exit poll results on election night, early October 28, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Addressing supporters at his Religious Zionism party’s election HQ, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich dismisses the declarations from opposition leaders that the results from initial exit polls marked a defeat for the pro-Netanyahu bloc.

“We won’t let you celebrate. They are celebrating because they think they’ll succeed in reversing our settlement revolution in Judea and Samaria,” he says, using the biblical name for the West Bank. “They won’t succeed. Jewish settlements will rise in Gaza.