This is a glimpse into the ascent of Israel’s finance minister, who has emerged as one of the country’s most powerful figures, alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Israel’s finance minister is considered by many to be one of the most influential individuals in the nation, standing alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He identifies as an ultranationalist and a settler in the West Bank, advocating for the resettlement of Gaza. Moreover, he has issued threats to dismantle Netanyahu’s government should the conflict in Gaza come to a halt. This week, fighting has resumed following a 42-day ceasefire that ended with Israeli strikes claiming over 400 Palestinian lives. NPR’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi explores his rise to prominence in Israel.
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s Finance Minister, was once pursued by Israel’s equivalent of the FBI. In 2005, Israel experienced widespread protests as settlers protested the evacuation of Jewish settlements from Gaza. During that time, Dvir Kariv was an operative with Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet.
DVIR KARIV: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: Kariv recounts that on the night of July 11, 2005, they conducted a raid at a residence in central Israel.
KARIV: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: He mentions that they discovered several jerry cans filled with fuel in the basement.
KARIV: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: Five individuals were apprehended, one of whom was a student named Bezalel Smotrich. Kariv notes that the group was interrogated for three and a half weeks.
KARIV: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: “From the Shin Bet’s perspective, we effectively thwarted the plans that Bezalel Smotrich and his associates had laid out,” Kariv states. While he refrains from sharing specifics, Israeli media has reported that Smotrich’s group aimed to detonate a major Israeli highway. Smotrich remained tight-lipped during the interrogations and was released without any charges. He kept his secrets, yet later in his political career, he has been vocal about what drives his ambitions.
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BEZALEL SMOTRICH: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: “My ultimate goal is for the state of Israel to function under the guidance of the Torah or Jewish sacred texts,” he disclosed on Israeli radio.
Smotrich represents an ultranationalist religious Zionist ideology—a faction of Judaism that broke from the secular Zionist movement that established Israel. Historically, many ultra-religious Jews opposed the Zionist movement, although a minority supported it, especially after the 1967 war when Israel gained control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Tomer Persico, an expert on Jewish extremism, describes this dynamic.
TOMER PERSICO: The more Jews populate lands acquired by the state of Israel, the closer we approach redemption. This is a fervent, motivated, and devoted Messianic movement.
AL-SHALCHI: According to Persico, Smotrich is positioned at the far-right fringe of religious Zionism, often referred to as ultra-Orthodox nationalists, who adhere strictly to Jewish law and typically reject feminist, liberal, and LGBTQ values. Smotrich and his followers maintain that the Israeli-occupied West Bank is a biblical inheritance for the Jewish people, a divinely ordained territory that must be incorporated permanently into Israel.
Smotrich, an attorney, first entered parliament in 2015. Two years later, he authored a manifesto titled “Israel’s Decisive Plan.” Within its pages, he outlines strategies to confront the primary challenge posed by Palestinians in the settlement of the West Bank.
PERSICO: Smotrich essentially presents the Palestinians with three alternatives: emigrate, submit and live as subjects without voting rights, or resist and perish.
AL-SHALCHI: Shortly thereafter, Smotrich ascended to become the leader of the Religious Zionist Party. Ohad Tal, a member of Smotrich’s party, shares his perspective.
OHAD TAL: I view him as a highly astute individual who comprehends the landscape. He is often portrayed as radical because many struggle to accept the reality he presents.
AL-SHALCHI: Smotrich was ideally situated in the recent Israeli national elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged victorious and sought partners to form a coalition, all while facing corruption charges. Persico asserts that Netanyahu was left with few options.
PERSICO: He had no other allies willing to sit with him in parliament due to his ongoing legal troubles.
AL-SHALCHI: The only factions willing to ally with Netanyahu were the ultra-Orthodox and religious Zionist parties, including Smotrich’s faction. Consequently, Netanyahu established a coalition with them, bestowing upon them unprecedented power. He appointed Smotrich as finance minister and placed him in charge of the Ministry of Defense, as noted by scholar Persico.
PERSICO: In this role, he has essentially taken control of civil administration for settlers in the occupied regions, which puts him on the brink of formal annexation.
AL-SHALCHI: Following the attacks on Israel in October 2023, Netanyahu invited Smotrich to join his war cabinet. The finance minister sought guidance from his faith.
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SMOTRICH: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: “I grappled with this decision and consulted my rabbis. Ultimately, I wish to influence the course of the war,” he shared with a group of religious students in a video posted online last year.
It is reported that Smotrich frequently consults a group of rabbis known as the Five. Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira is among them and has expressed opposition to a hostage arrangement.
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YEHOSHUA SHAPIRA: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: “While the return of hostages brings joy, this is fundamentally an unfavorable deal for Israel,” Shapira stated during an online lecture.
Persico emphasizes that Smotrich’s unwavering commitment is evident each time he threatens to destabilize Netanyahu’s coalition if the war in Gaza does not persist, where his ultimate vision includes the reconstruction of Jewish settlements.
PERSICO: He serves as the driving force preventing the conflict from concluding.
AL-SHALCHI: Smotrich has utilized his influence to advance the agenda of settlers in the West Bank. Just days after Israel paused military operations in January and reached an agreement with Hamas for hostage release, Netanyahu ordered an escalation of incursions in the West Bank, resulting in significant destruction in urban refugee camps and the displacement of thousands of Palestinians. Israel defends these actions as targeted efforts against Palestinian militants.
PERSICO: It’s quite plausible to assert that Netanyahu provided this concession to appease Smotrich during the hostage negotiations.
AL-SHALCHI: Under the Biden administration, Smotrich faced marginalization due to his anti-Palestinian rhetoric, and domestic opinion polls indicate that he would struggle in another election, having garnered only 11% of the Israeli vote for his party in the last 2022 elections. This month, he was invited to Washington, D.C., to meet with counterparts from the Trump administration.
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SMOTRICH: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: Smotrich seldom provides interviews to Western media. However, upon returning from his U.S. visit, he held his first press conference where I had the opportunity to pose a question.
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AL-SHALCHI: I have two questions. Are you aware…
I inquired about plans for the potential annexation of the West Bank. Smotrich took issue with the term annexation.
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SMOTRICH: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: “Annexation implies seizing something that doesn’t belong to you,” the minister asserts. “Judea and Samaria”—the biblical terms for the West Bank—”are rightfully ours.”
Trump previously informed reporters that his administration would disclose its stance on West Bank annexation by early March, a deadline that has since elapsed.
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SMOTRICH: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: Smotrich remarks, “Israel and the United States are in discussions regarding this, and I prefer not to divulge specifics.” I follow up…
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AL-SHALCHI: Is Trump the key figure who will facilitate this for you? Will he provide support to make it a reality?
SMOTRICH: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: “We are convinced this is the right course of action,” he replies. “We are engaged in discussions and negotiations.”
While Smotrich is firm in his belief that he has a divine mandate to assume control over the West Bank, the pivotal question remains whether he also enjoys Trump’s endorsement.
Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Jerusalem.
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