Smotrich demands war to continue, rejects PA role ahead of Netanyahu–Trump talks

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionist Party, has presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a set of conditions relating to Gaza and the occupied West Bank, ahead of Netanyahu’s anticipated meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.

Speaking on Monday during his party’s parliamentary bloc meeting, Smotrich said Netanyahu must ensure that Israel does not halt the war in Gaza before achieving what he described as its central objective: the destruction of Hamas. He said Israel’s commitment to what he called “absolute victory” had not yet been fulfilled.

Smotrich acknowledged that the issue of Israeli prisoners remains an important consideration, but insisted that Israel must “continue on the path and not stop”.

He outlined six conditions that he said Israel should impose with regard to Gaza, most notably that reconstruction of the territory should only begin after “complete disarmament”, rejecting any partial arrangements. He said there was “no place for Hamas to remain as a viable force at the end of the war”.

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Smotrich also reiterated his opposition to any role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, “neither directly nor indirectly”, and rejected the deployment of multinational forces in areas Israel considers its responsibility.

He said responsibility for dismantling Hamas and disarming Gaza should fall on international bodies operating in other parts of the Strip, calling for a limited timeframe for political and diplomatic efforts to achieve this. “After that, Israel will act in its own way,” he said, adding that Israel “will not fund the reconstruction of Gaza”.

Turning to the West Bank, Smotrich said Netanyahu should raise the issue in his meeting with Trump, arguing that the security and political lessons of the events of 7 October have “not yet been fully implemented”.

He repeated his rejection of the Oslo Accords, describing the establishment of the Palestinian Authority as a “mistake”. He called for its dismantling, the collection of weapons, and the imposition of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank.

Smotrich also referred to a previous remark by Trump likening Israel to “the tip of a pen on the big table in the White House”, suggesting the difficulty of defending its borders. He warned that failure to act on multiple fronts could lead to “further future events”, adding that he did not intend to “bear responsibility for the recurrence of such events”.

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