Jewish Terrorist Smotrich–‘Hostage rescue not important, seizing Gaza is the priority’

Bezalel Smotrich calls on Netanyahu to bring a decision to the cabinet to impose military rule on the Strip and remove millions of residents. ‘No more excuses,’ he tells the PM

Ynet News

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday repeated his position that rescuing the hostages is not of primary importance for Israel. The far-right leader of the National Religious Party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition partner said in a radio interview that what was important was defeating Hamas. 

‘Truth must be told. Returning the hostages is not an important goal,’ he said. ‘Let us decide to end with Gaza once and for all. Let’s return the trust of the people and prove that we can achieve our aims and destroy Hamas.’

Smotrich directed his comments to Netanyahu, saying there were no more excuses. ‘Biden is gone, Blinken is gone, Gallant is gone and there is no longer an IDF chief of staff who is preventing the blocking of humanitarian aid with his body. The alternative to capitulation is taking territory in the Strip and destroying Hamas.’

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in response that the families of hostages have just one word for the minister: ‘Shame,’ but added that he at least was revealing the truth to the public. ‘The government decided to knowingly give up the hostages. Smotrich – history will remember how you closed your heart to your brothers and sisters in captivity and chose not to save them.’

In a later interview on Monday, Smotrich doubled down and said that after decades of claiming that there was no military solution to terror, Israel must now occupy all of Gaza and establish military rule. ‘We must take territory and remove 1.5 to 2 million Palestinians from Gaza.’

Smotrich voiced the same view in the past and said he opposed the deals that brought about the release of hostages earlier in the year. ‘I thought it was a grave mistake that came at a very difficult price that we may have to pay later. I said then that I would remain in the government because I had an iron-clad commitment from the prime minister and defense minister that we would return to the fighting,’ he said. 

‘They informed me, unfortunately, that the effort now is to pressure Hamas to release hostages. I think that is a strategic error and a contradiction in terms,’ he added.

He said he expected Netanyahu to bring to the cabinet a decision to occupy the entire Gaza Strip. ‘I won’t go into plans, there are several options. I stated my position, and it must be quick so that soldiers in the reserves could be relieved from duty. We have to stop being afraid of using the word occupation. There is no other way to achieve the goals of the war.’

Families of hostages expressed their outrage at the minister’s words. 

Sharon Cunio, who was abducted with her daughters and other members of her family during the massacre and whose husband, David, is still being held captive, addressed Smotrich in a post. ‘You visited my burned-out home at Nir Oz a few months ago, from which our entire family was cruelly abducted on your watch. You shed tears during our meeting and it seemed like you were moved. Was it all an act for the cameras?’ 

Lishi Lavi-Miran, whose husband, Omri, is held hostage in Gaza, thanked the minister, who canceled a visit to her Kibbutz – Nahal Oz, scheduled for Tuesday, for saying publicly what Netanyahu was too scared to say. ‘For anyone who has not yet understood and for those who refuse to accept facts, the government had decided to give up on the hostages, contrary to the will of most Israelis, according to polling. It is no longer the release of hostages first. It is now the war above all else.’