The far-right minister argued for the use of starvation over any prisoner exchange and ceasefire deal to return the Israeli captives held in the strip
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on 5 August that he considers it “justified and moral” to starve two million civilians in Gaza to death so that the Israeli captives are returned, but that the international community stood in Israel’s way.
The far-right Israeli minister claimed that Tel Aviv has no choice in delivering aid to the Gaza Strip during a conference hosted by Israel Hayom. “We can’t, in the current global reality, manage a war. Nobody will let us cause two million civilians to die of hunger, even though it might be justified and moral, until our hostages are returned.”
Smotrich argued for the use of starvation over any prisoner exchange and ceasefire negotiations. He also restated his opposition to releasing Palestinians in Israeli prisons in exchange for the captives in Gaza and his support for Israel resettling the strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously stated that resettling Gaza is unrealistic, angering his far-right allies.
Smotrich and Israeli Defence Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have been at the center of controversy since their rise to power after the November 2022 elections in Israel, when their Religious Zionist Party joined Netanyahu’s ruling coalition.
In June, the Israeli military discreetly transferred substantial legal authority in the occupied West Bank to pro-settler civil servants working under Smotrich, which would essentially accelerate the annexation of the Palestinian territories.
Smotrich has also previously called for the destruction of Gaza, the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the strip, and its annexation as well.
🔗SOURCE ➡️ The Cradle
Related: 7/18 — ❗️Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich:
“A Palestinian state cannot be established because there is no such thing as a Palestinian People."
: 7/14 — Haaretz: Smotrich Has Completed Israel's Annexation of the West Bank
7/3 — Israel Approves Largest West Bank Land Grab in Three Decades..
6/30 — Smotrich’s Annexation Tapes / Part 3
6/28 — Israeli Cabinet Approves Plan To Legalize 5 Settlements in West Bank
6/26 — Smotrich Has a Plan to Annex the West Bank and Netanyahu Supports It
SEE: 6/21-23 — NYT: Israeli Official Describes Secret Government Bid to Cement Control of West Bank
SMOTRICH’S ANNEXATION TAPES Parts 1 & 2
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6/6 - Was October 7th Allowed to Happen To Further The Greater Israel Agenda? Did The Hannibal Directive Ever End? [X] — Part 4 of TheMcgwire's Oct 7th Series
5/25 — ‘Voluntary Migration’ From Gaza ‘Last Step’ To Full Israeli Control: Minister
4/30 — Israel’s Finance Minister Calls for "Total Annihilation" of Rafah, Other Cities in Gaza
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