Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to have Turkey removed from the ceasefire talks, in a letter published on Friday. In the letter, Smotrich stated that he was surprised to have learned that representatives of Israel’s “antisemitic enemy Erdogan” are part of the peace talks, and that “Erdogan should be canceled, … Read more
Former US president and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump showed “courage and integrity” by “changing his opinion” and opposing a Palestinian state, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a written statement on Thursday. Asked in an interview for TIME Magazine on April 12 whether the current Israel-Hamas war should end in a two-state solution, … Read more
Politicians and various organizations sharply criticized the decision of the expanded War Cabinet to approve visits to the Nukhba terrorist prisoners on Thursday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed approving the visits, which was supported by the majority of cabinet ministers, except ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who opposed it. Ben-Gvir commented on the … Read more
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the far-right Religious Zionist Party, was shouted off the stage on Tuesday at an annual conference held in Ashkelon by the right-wing newspaper Yisrael Hayom. The incident was an indication of the lack of support for Smotrich in the right-wing camp. Smotrich, whose party currently has seven Knesset … Read more
MK Benny Gantz’s political future remained stable while Netanyahu’s leadership remained in doubt: An election poll conducted by Maariv and political pollster Dr. Menachem Lazar uncovered what the political landscape would look like had elections been held today. The National Unity Party, led by MK Benny Gantz, continued to weaken despite its boost following … Read more
The renewed budget for 2024 passed into law on Wednesday, after weeks of debate in the Knesset Finance Committee. NIS 55 billion out of the extra funding will go to military purposes, and NIS 15.5 billion for civilian needs. The budget deficit is predicted to be 6.6%, as opposed to the original 2.5% in … Read more
Minister-without-portfolio MK Benny Gantz is the government’s “weak link,” and the US administration’s decision to host Gantz for meetings is an attempt to ‘drive a wedge’ within the government and the people of Israel, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a press conference on Monday after his party, the Religious Zionist Party (RZP), held … Read more
As the Gaza war continues and hostage release negotiations remain stuck, poll results remained fairly steady compared to past weeks, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party still below the electoral threshold, according to a new poll conducted by Lazar Research, led by Dr. Menachem Lazar, in collaboration with Panel4All, for Maariv on … Read more
The Knesset on Wednesday will hold its first vote on a renewed national budget for the year 2024. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich placed the budget on the Knesset floor on Monday, over two weeks after a deadline set by the quasi-constitutional Basic Law: The State Economy. The vote will be held after press time … Read more
The IDF revealed on Friday that in the municipal elections slated for January 30, 1,829 candidates are active reservists, hundreds of which will not be able to be released in time. The government was set to discuss another postponement of the elections as a result of these circumstances next week. Against the backdrop of … Read more
