Israel’s Finance Minister proposes the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority and its replacement with Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
By World Israel News Staff
A senior Israeli minister called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to dismantle the Palestinian Authority and to extend Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
Speaking at a faction meeting of the Religious Zionist Party, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned that without Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria and a crackdown on terrorism in the area, central Israel could face the same kind of invasion that took place in southern Israel on October 7th, 2023.
“We are carrying out a revolution on the ground in Judea and Samaria, but in terms of security and diplomacy, we are still far from internalizing and implementing the lessons of October 7th,” Smotrich told Religious Zionist Party lawmakers.
“Oslo was a mistake, the establishment of the Palestinian Authority was a mistake, and the PA is a terrorist entity that must be eradicated.”
“So that Kfar Saba does not, God forbid, become Kfar Aza, and Netanya does not become Be’eri, and Nitzanei Oz does not become Nahal Oz, we must – absolutely must – dismantle the Palestinian Authority, collect the weapons, and apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.”
Speaking just days before Netanyahu’s planned trip to Florida to meet with President Donald Trump, Smotrich urged Netanyahu to broach the idea of Israeli sovereignty with the president, despite Trump’s comments earlier this year ruling out annexation.
“President Trump himself compared Israel to the tiny tip of a pen on the large desk in the Oval Office, explaining better than anyone how indefensible these borders are.”
“If we fail to act now in these areas, we will be responsible, God forbid, for the next October 7th. As a member of the government, I bear responsibility for October 7th, and I have no intention of bearing responsibility for the next one.”
Turning to the Gaza Strip, Smotrich laid out the key points he believes Netanyahu must emphasize in talks with Trump at Mar-a-Lago next week.
“The Prime Minister must ensure in that meeting that… we do not stop until we achieve the primary objective of the war that we defined: the destruction of Hamas. We promised total victory, and we are not there yet.”
Smotrich objected to reports that the Trump administration is looking to launch a pilot program testing the feasibility of reconstruction in Gaza prior to the disarming of Hamas.
The Finance Minister added that Netanyahu must firmly reject any role for the Palestinian Authority in the governance of post-war Gaza, a position the premier has maintained in the past, despite US pressure.
“There will be no reconstruction without demilitarization. This is mandated by President Trump’s plan, and we must not deviate from it by even an inch. There is no such thing as partial demilitarization, fictitious demilitarization, or watered-down demilitarization. Hamas cannot exist in Gaza at the end of this war. There will be no involvement of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza – neither directly nor indirectly.”
Smotrich also raised a major objection to the Trump administration’s Gaza plan, insisting that the international stabilization force slated to enter Gaza early next year be limited to operating on Hamas’ side of the ceasefire line, in the so-called “red zone.”
“There will be no entry of multinational forces into our part of Gaza. International forces must dismantle Hamas and demilitarize Gaza, and they must do so in the red zone of the Strip. The State of Israel will not pay in any way for Gaza’s reconstruction.”
“If anything, the Gazans should bear the enormous costs of the war they forced upon us in the October 7th massacre. There must be a clear and short deadline for attempts to dismantle Hamas the easy way, after which Israel will have full freedom to act on its own.”
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