Nadene Goldfoot
Finance Minister Smotrich is promising that his Religious Zionist party would demand control in the next government of the Planning Administration and the Israel Land Authority; the state bodies that play central roles in planning, and development and management of most of Israel’s land. They will then be able to implement a plan to dramatically expand Jewish settlement in the Negev and Galilee. They planning for the migration of 1 million people through the establishment of 40 new communities. Also, that includes dozens of agricultural farms. The farms will allow major expansions of existing towns and hundreds of thousands of new housing units.
His last name is derived from the Ukrainian town of Smotrych, where he says his ancestors lived. His grandfather Yaakov immigrated to Mandatory Palestine before World War II, and subsequently lost his parents, who drowned on an Aliyah Bet ship trying to reach Palestine, while his grandmother Bruria survived the Holocaust before immigrating to Israel. So he must be Ashkenaz.
A major section of Smotrich’s program also focuses on crime, illegal weapons and state authority in Arab communities.
Bezalel Smotrich's settlement expansion and policy shift program is taking place primarily in Area C of the occupied West Bank, though enforcement actions and broader strategic goals also impact other areas. Area C is the one set aside for Jewish living. Area C covers roughly 60% of the West Bank (referred to by Israel as the Judea and Samaria Area) and remains under full Israeli civil and security control
It's about time, as they have been holding the land since 1967 The Six-Day War, which took place in 1967 (specifically from June 5 to June 10), which was the turning point when Israel won this war that seemed to be miraculous being all the Arab countries and more attacked teeny Israel and Israel won. Many Jews did believe that G-d must have had a hand in this.
Israeli Arab politicians have condemned the plan. [But what's wrong with strengthening Jewish communities in the Galilee and Negev?
The Galilee contains roughly 45 dedicated Jewish towns and villages, while Area C of the West Bank holds over 140 officially recognized Israeli settlements and nearly 400 outposts. The Galilee is a fertile, mountainous region in northern Israel. It’s known for the Sea of Galilee, where the Christian's Jesus is said to have walked on water. Christianity's history takes place mostly in the Galilee.
The city of Tiberias has the tomb of Jewish sage Maimonides and the Church of St. Peter, with art depicting the 4 Gospels.
Mount Arbel has ancient cave fortifications. The Mount of Beatitudes is where Jesus allegedly preached the Sermon on the Mount.
The Negev is a desert region occupying the southern half of Israel proper (within its internationally recognized pre-1967 borders).
There are over 100 Jewish localities in the Negev—including major cities like Beersheba and Eilat, development towns, and dozens of agricultural kibtzutzim and moshavim.
Since they are located inside sovereign Israeli territory, they do not fall under any "Area" designations. They ARE ISRAEL. If Smotrich wants to expand cities, he should be welcome to do it.Remember, it's a desert. The Negev is a large desert region in southern Israel. Its main city is Be’er Sheva. Here, the Old City is home to the Negev Museum of Art, with contemporary Israeli and international exhibitions. Nearby is Abraham’s Well, a cultural center with interactive exhibits about the story of Abraham. East of the city, Tel Be’er Sheva is a prehistoric settlement mound with ruins, plus a lookout tower with desert views.
Kedumim (Hebrew: קְדוּמִים, romanized: Kdumim; Arabic: قدوميم) is an Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank, Palestine. Founded on Hanukkah 1975 by members of the Gush Emunim settlement movement, it later became a local council. In 2024 it had a population of 4,564.
The consensus of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the Judea/Samaria (West Bank) illegal under international law. Kedumim is considered illegal under international law because it is an Israeli settlement located in the West Bank, an area Israel captured and occupied during the 1967 war,
The Israeli government disputes this. Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, the West Bank was partitioned into Areas A, B, and C, placing Israeli settlements like Kedumim within Area C under complete Israeli military and civil jurisdiction. The agreement categorized these settlements as a final status issue, deferring their permanent future and borders to negotiations that were ultimately unfulfilled. He had been told he was illegal; but that was wrong.
Bezalel Yoel Smotrich (Hebrew: בְּצַלְאֵל יוֹאֵל סְמוֹטְרִיץ׳; born 27 February 1980) is 46, is an Israeli politician and lawyer who has served as the Minister of Finance since 2022. The leader of the Religious Zionist Party, he previously served as a Knesset member for the Jewish Home and Yamina, leaving in 2023 after resigning under the Norwegian Law, allowing him to remain a minister in the government while his seat in the Knesset could be taken by another candidate from his party.
He has a long history of anti-Arab activism, leading to dozens of indictments and at least eight convictions of crimes including incitement to racism and support for, as well as possession of propaganda of, a terrorist organization (the now-illegal Kach political party).
As a lawyer, he is known for defending Jews accused of Jewish extremist terrorism in Israeli courts.
Itamar Ben-Gvir (Hebrew: אִיתָמָר בֶּן גְּבִיר [itaˈmaʁ benˈgviʁ]; born 6 May 1976) is age 50, is an Israeli politician and lawyer who has served as the minister of national security since 2022, except for a two-month gap in early 2025. He is the leader of Otzma Yehudit ("Jewish Power"), an Israeli far-right, Kahanist and anti-Arab party which won six seats in the 2022 legislative election and is part of the thirty-seventh government of Israel.
Prime Minister Netanyahu would like Smotrich and Ben Gvir to unite their parties in the upcoming election like they did in the last election.
That's like mixing oil with vinegar, my friends. Two lawyers, one for the left, one for the right, in American lingo; one Mizrahi and one Ashkenazi. Whose idea was this?
Ben Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party quickly responded to the invitation, stating, "The Otzma Yehudit party and the Religious Zionist Party will not run together in the upcoming Knesset elections.
This decision is final and absolute and will not change under any circumstances.
There will be no negotiations, meetings, or discussions on the matter, either directly or indirectly."
The UK government under new prime minister Andy Burnham is preparing a comprehensive package of sanctions on trade with Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria.
Such measures have already been taken by Spain and the Netherlands, and are being considered by other European countries.
The Netherlands adopted a particularly strict law not only banning imports of goods from Israeli settlements but also forbidding their sale and purchase, making that an offence that could result in a prison sentence of up to six years.
The Dutch law will come into effect on September 22.
Meanwhile, Israel’s minister of foreign affairs, Gideon Sa’ar, has ordered that the expulsion of representatives of the Netherlands from the International Support Center for Gaza in Kiryat Gat.
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