An unusual and unprecedented statement by a minister about the surprise attack of October 7: Religious Zionist Chairman Bezalel Smotrich caused a stir this morning (Tuesday) when he was asked to decide what constitutes a more difficult event in the country's history.
""Certainly forming a government with Mansour Abbas," he stated without hesitation in an interview he gave to the 'Seven Nine' program hosted by Gideon Oko and Amichai Atali on 103fm radio.
He said that although the massacres are a tragic and difficult event to digest, the deliberate aspect of a political partnership with an Arab party poses a deeper danger for him.
""The October 7 massacre is a terrible and terrible failure, but it is a tactical failure. Whoever knowingly sold the State of Israel to its enemies and the Islamic movement did something 1,000 times worse than the most terrible failure possible, because it is not a malicious act.".
The interviewers reminded the minister that a surprise attack had claimed the lives of more than 2,100 victims, along with bereaved families and many injured, but he refused to back down.
""Do you want to have a competition in disasters?" he wondered. "You asked me as a politician what I think is more serious. A politician who lied, betrayed his values, and targeted democracy - that is much more serious.".
When asked, "How would Bennett, if he were prime minister, conduct this war differently from you?" he replied: "The left, for years, has been a champion at taking military achievements and sensationalizing them.".
Smotrich did not stop there and made it clear that he was not referring to the previous prime ministers, who, according to him, are people who cannot be trusted with a word that comes out of their mouths, while accusing them of turning their backs 180 degrees on their voters in just a few days. "I am ready to argue with the right, I am ready to argue with the left - I do not know how to argue with someone who one day promises not to sit with Lapid and then does sit with Lapid, someone who promised not to form a government with supporters of anti-Zionist terror with Hamas' sister movement and did it. Let's talk about people who have a worldview.".
Despite his central position in the country's leadership, the minister also had criticisms of his senior partner, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, especially in light of the ongoing war and the fact that the terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip has not yet been finally defeated.
When confronted with the reality that the enemy continues to control parts of Gaza, he claimed that the data on the ground is different. "We control 60 percent of the Gaza Strip," he stated, "Hamas does currently control 40 percent, but there is no event here that changes reality. We are only bringing in 200 trucks today, which is far less than the 4,000 trucks that entered in the past, and we will have to decide at what moment we choose which form of fighting.".
He added: "It is clear that we need to end this war with no Hamas in Gaza. We want many, many years of peace.".
The minister rejected claims that the concept is still alive and kicking within the right-wing government. "I have been criticizing Netanyahu for years and I do not absolve him of responsibility," he admitted unexpectedly. "I have had quarrels with him for 20 years - but I look at the last two and a half years and the change in policy. Thank God, he made the right choice.".
Atali hit back at Smotrich: "Benjamin Netanyahu is still the father of the political concept. This whole incident grew in his bed. You're simply saying that from October 8th he became a new person.".
To this, the minister responded: "I still have sharp arguments with him. I still think that this war must end with a change in the borders of the State of Israel, both in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and of course in Judea and Samaria.".
He did not spare his thoughts on the solution he considered desirable for ending the campaign. According to him, if it were up to him, IDF forces would carry out a large-scale annexation of Lebanon.
""Yes, I think he's wrong. Mentally, our enemies don't care how many terrorists we kill for them or how many bombs we fire at them. That doesn't interest them. What they care about is if we take territory from them.".
He made it clear that he intends to promote a revolution in Judea and Samaria as well, in order to finally remove the vision of a Palestinian state from the agenda.
Preparing for Doron, Prayer and War
Regarding the rising tensions in the Gulf and the direct confrontation with the ayatollah regime, the minister used more cautious wording, but incorporated images from the sources. When asked whether the multi-scene campaign was expected to expand again against Tehran, he provided an implicit answer that was based on Yaakov Avinu's preparations before the meeting with Esau. "There are preparations for Doron, for prayer and for war," he noted, "and close coordination between us and the American administration is maintained. The IDF is prepared for any scenario in defense and attack.".
According to Smotrich, "The most important thing is that President Trump remains 100 percent committed to dismantling a nuclear Iran, without missile capability and without proxies.".
He refrained from elaborating on the possible targets of the attack, but stressed the paramount importance of hitting the pockets of the Iranian regime. "We want to crush this regime economically," he said, adding that the goal is to bring the leadership there to a situation where it will be most difficult for it to recover.
He estimated that the combined military and economic pressure would ultimately allow the Iranian people, who he claimed were disgusted with the regime, to overthrow the government from within and bring about a reality of regional peace with more moderate leadership.
When Oko noted that "maybe as lessons from the first round, maybe we should all be a little more humble this time," Smotrich replied: "I don't think we weren't humble before.".
During the interview, the minister took on a more personal and sensitive role when asked about his son, Benya, an IDF fighter who was injured in the fierce fighting in southern Lebanon. After a period of hospitalization, the son was released from the hospital yesterday to continue his rehabilitation process.
""Thank God, things are going well," he shared in an excited voice. "This is an opportunity to say thank you to the Lord of the Universe and to the many people who supported, showed interest, and prayed. The medical teams at Hadassah Hospital are wonderful, and the army is surrounding us.".
He described the long recovery process that is still ahead for his son, but he was careful to maintain cautious optimism. The doctors, he noted, say that several more months of patience and physical therapy will be needed. "We see great improvement," he concluded with fatherly empathy, "We won him by miracle. He feels much better and is already talking about returning to the mission with his friends.".
""We wish him that by the time he is released there will be no more army," Atali said with a smile.
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
