From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 8, 2024
Smotrich: Mistake to put keys in Aharon Barak’s hands at The Hague
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s choice of retired Supreme Court President Aharon Barak as Israel’s appointee to the 15-judge panel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague was made “without consulting us,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says, joining a chorus of critical voices on the right.
Speaking with reporters ahead of his Religious Zionism party’s faction meeting in the Knesset, Smotrich argued that “putting the keys in the hands of Aharon Barak, who is an honorable man, is a mistake” and said that “this is a decision made by the prime minister without consulting us.”
Responding to reports “that we supposedly ended the war and moved to the stage of special operations,” Smotrich says that the war “cannot end before we have fully achieved the goals of the war and that is first of all the destruction of the political and military capabilities of Hamas and of course the return of the hostages.”
Smotrich’s comments come after National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir rails against Yoav Gallant after the defense minister tells the Wall Street Journal that the IDF will be shifting from what he called the “intense maneuvering phase of the war” toward “different types of special operations” in northern Gaza.
Smotrich also defends himself from criticism of his recommendation of “voluntary” Palestinian emigration from Gaza, arguing that “this is not about deporting residents by coercion or force” and that many Palestinians want to move abroad due to the humanitarian situation in the coastal territory.
“If I’m right and many want to leave, it’ll happen” and if not then it won’t, he says.
Smotrich also pushes back against US criticism of his refusal to allow the transfer of Palestinian tax funds to Gaza.
“Is it conceivable that Washington would transfer hundreds of millions of dollars every month to Al Qaeda?” he asks.
