From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Smotrich says he’ll ‘bring down the government’ if Israel doesn’t occupy Gaza
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. 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"
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls on Israel to occupy the Gaza Strip and install a military government, threatening to bring down the government if it does not do so.
Speaking with Army Radio, the far-right minister says that Israel “must occupy Gaza and create a temporary military government because there is no other way to defeat Hamas.”
“I will bring down the government if it does not return to fighting in a way that [leads to us] taking over the entire Gaza Strip and governing it,” he continues, lashing out at IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi as “weak in strategy.”
“If I were the prime minister, I would tell the chief of staff, ‘This is my policy; if you don’t execute it, go home,'” Smotrich says.
He insists as well that Israel take over the provision of humanitarian aid in the Strip.
Netanyahu has in past statements stressed that Israel has no plans to conquer or permanently occupy the Gaza Strip.
The Times of Israel Community.