Bezalel Smotrich
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has twice clarified that he did not mean innocents should be harmed when he said that the Palestinian village should be “wiped out.”
The clarification comes after Washington slammed the finance minister’s comments as “repugnant” and called on Israel’s government to repudiate them.
Following a security summit with the Palestinians, Amman and Washington claimed that Israel had committed to curb building in Judea and Samaria.
The Defense Ministry body is responsible for construction approval and other bureaucratic matters in Area C of Judea and Samaria.
In a bid to curb inflation, the Israeli central bank hiked the country’s benchmark interest rate from 3.75% to 4.25%, the highest level since the 2008 global financial crisis.
The Defense Ministry body’s responsibilities include approving construction in Area C of Judea and Samaria.
The move was carried out on the authority of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant despite orders from Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich to freeze the demolition.
The Knesset has until May 28 to pass the budget or the government falls.
While Washington’s response is “understandable,” the Americans know that Israel’s government is “committed to the settlements,” said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The legislation would restore freedom of movement to Israelis in the four northern Samaria communities that were razed in 2005.
Enough of enabling the Palestinian Authority to reward terrorists, the minister says.
The reforms “will restore Israel to the legal situation of most of the leading democracies in the world, where it had been for 50 years,” says the Israeli premier.
