From the Liveblog of
Thursday, December 21, 2023
Smotrich says Hanegbi ‘still living in October 6’ after suggestion PA can run Gaza
Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich upbraids National Security Adviser Tzahi Hanegbi for comments to a Saudi news site indicating Israel may accept a reformed Palestinian Authority ruling Gaza.
“There are people here who are still living in October 6,” says Smotrich on X. “This position does not represent the position of the Israeli government, and the prime minister needs to call him to order. The Palestinian Authority is not the solution, it is a significant part of the problem.”
The issue of who will govern Gaza after the war with Hamas ends has become a significant point of political dispute.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected any possibility of the Palestinian Authority ruling the territory, although some Hebrew media reports have indicated he may be entertaining workarounds to this position.
Smotrich has rejected any such proposal, warning Netanyahu earlier this week to “not test us” and “not present us with a fait accompli which we cannot be a part of,” while asserting that the prime minister’s previous policy of containing Hamas was responsible, in part, for the October 7 atrocities.
