“Israel” will erase Palestinian state, vows Smotrich

“Israeli” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich vowed Friday to “erase the Palestinian state” and rebuild settlements in the West Bank that were dismantled as part of the 2005 disengagement.

Smotrich hoped to see his plan come to light “in the coming weeks”, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the withdrawal from Gaza and four West Bank settlements, he said in statements to Ofek newspaper cited by “The Times of Israel”.

“The people of Israel are correcting the sin of Gaza,” he said, referring to the Gush Katif former settlement which was based in south Gaza, and calls by settlers to reestablish it.

“...and I hope we will also be able to fully correct the sin of northern Samaria,” he continued.

“Israel” approved plans to rebuild the settlements of Sa-Nur and Homesh earlier this year, which were dismantled along with Ganim and Kadim during the disengagement.

Smotrich vowed that those plans serve to “erase the Palestinian state” and claimed it also aims at preventing another Oct. 7.

“A large part of what we are doing today in Judea and Samaria is the product of insights from October 7,” Smotrich said.