Smotrich and Ben Gvir: Terrorists Who Surpass the Devil
The Finance and National Security ministers in the occupation government, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, continue to play a pivotal role in escalating extremist policies against Palestinians, both in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, through stances and calls that have driven further killing, displacement, settlement expansion, and repression. Smotrich is one of the chief architects of the West Bank annexation project, having worked to strengthen settlement control and expand settlements in steps aimed at undermining the possibility of establishing a geographically contiguous Palestinian state. Smotrich’s positions have not been limited to the West Bank; his remarks regarding the Gaza Strip sparked widespread condemnation after he stated that the death of two million Palestinians from starvation “could be fair and ethical,” a stance that reflected the extent of extremism now present in the rhetoric of senior officials in the occupation government.
Ben-Gvir, for his part, has been associated with a series of more hardline positions and measures against Palestinians. He was among the key supporters of a bill proposing the execution of Palestinian families and pushed to arm extremist settlers, amid escalating attacks by these settlers against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank. Ben-Gvir went even further in his rhetoric regarding the war on Gaza, making public calls to continue killing and demanding the killing of dozens every night in the Strip, while Palestinian civilians face catastrophic consequences of the war, siege, and widespread destruction.
Smotrich and Ben-Gvir form two main pillars of the most extremist wing within the occupation government, and they continuously exert pressure to prevent any steps that could lead to a ceasefire in Gaza or concessions to Palestinians. The rhetoric of the two men clearly converges on the issue of displacing Gaza’s population, as they have repeatedly expressed support for removing Palestinians from the Strip, alongside proposals to re-establish settlements there.
As Palestinians continue to suffer, the two ministers compete to adopt increasingly hardline positions, ranging from expanding settlements and annexing land in the West Bank to calling for displacement and re-settlement in Gaza. This has placed them at the forefront of far-right symbols supporting the continuation of the war and policies of repression against Palestinians.
