Smotrich: Time has come to erase the lines between Areas A, B, and C in West Bank

15 May 2026, 9:26 am

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Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is seen at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City during Jerusalem Day celebrations, May 14, 2026. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told a Jerusalem Day gathering yesterday that “the time has come to erase, permanently, the lines distinguishing between Areas A, B, and C,” Hebrew media report.

According to the Oslo II Accords, signed in 1995 by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank is divided into three areas, A, B and C. While Area C is under full Israeli control, Area B is under Palestinian civilian control and Israeli security control, and Area A is under full Palestinian control.

The remarks were made at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva, a cornerstone institution of religious Zionism. Speaking to students, the far-right minister declared: “The nation of Israel is coming home, and this time for good.”