Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich spoke Monday morning on Kan Reshet Bet radio regarding the hostages, the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon and the future of Gaza. On the issue of hostage negotiations, he asserts a firm stance: “We will not make an irresponsible deal. We will not make a surrender deal. I supported the previous deal, but I have lines red.” Concerning the ceasefire with Lebanon, Smotrich recognizes a feeling of “understandable frustration after the strategic success”, citing “diplomatic reasons” and American pressure: “The American government put the gun to our heads.”
Addressing residents of northern Israel during his visit to Avivim on Sunday, the minister promised a “gradual and responsible return” of residents, assuring that “the agreement does not authorize Hezbollah to rebuild its terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon.”
On the future of Gaza, Smotrich expressed his personal conviction: “I am a right-winger who believes in establishing settlements in the Land of Israel. It is possible that if we had remained in Gaza, this massacre horrible wouldn't have happened.” However, he clarifies that this issue is not an immediate war objective: “From my point of view, the right thing to do is to conquer Gaza and restore the settlements. But it is not in the war objectives .The objectives are to eliminate the threat that Gaza poses to the residents of Israel. We do this by dismantling Hamas. The minister also mentioned the discussions on “the post-war”, which he described as “very crude”, while stressing that the priority remains the dismantling of Hamas.
