Smotrich alleges West Bank as "inseparable part" of 'Israel'

• Smotrich vows crackdown on Arab construction in West Bank.
• Rejects left-wing leadership and peace initiatives.
• Links Oslo Accords to past 'terrorism waves.'

'Israeli' Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich vowed on social media platform X to intensify enforcement actions against Palestinian building projects in Judea and Samaria, claiming that 'Israel' will no longer tolerate unauthorized territorial development in the area.

Smotrich, who holds sweeping authority over civil affairs in the West Bank within the Defense Ministry, framed the government's measures as a restoration of 'Israeli' authority over land he argued Palestinians had long treated as their own.

ממשיכים לאכוף את החוק ולמנוע בניה והשתלטות בלתי חוקית של הערבים ביהודה ושומרון. יותר מידי שנים הם עשו בשטח כבתוך שלהם. זה נגמר. יהודה ושומרון הם חלק בלתי נפרד ממדינת ישראל ומהווים את רצועת הביטחון שלה.

לא ניתן לשמאל לחזור לשלטון ולהחזיר אותנו לימי אוסלו וגלי הטרור הנוראים… pic.twitter.com/xNxkFzvcI2

— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) July 28, 2026

In his statement, Smotrich emphasized the strategic and territorial significance of the West Bank to 'Israel', describing Judea and Samaria as an "inseparable part of the State of Israel" that constitutes its essential security buffer.

"We continue to enforce the law and prevent illegal construction and takeover by Arabs in Judea and Samaria," Smotrich wrote. "For too many years, they treated the area as their own. That's over."

Turning to internal domestic politics, Smotrich strongly rejected any potential return of left-wing political forces to power.

He explicitly referenced the 1990s Oslo framework, warning against returning "to the days of Oslo and the horrific waves of terror that exploded here with buses and restaurants across Israel".