Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich addressed the goals of the war at the meeting of the Religious Zionist Party faction today (Monday) and said that "the unfounded claims that are repeatedly heard against us from the Left in the media and from all kinds of retired generals who grew up on the knees of Oslo and accuse us of not having political goals for the war in Gaza are simply astounding."
According to him, "As usual, when it comes to the Left, if you do not adopt their dangerous political goals, it means you have no political goals. Because there can be no such thing as a political goal that is not based on surrender, withdrawals, concessions, dividing the Land of Israel, and handing over territories for the establishment of a terrorist state."
"The political goal is to destroy Hamas, encourage (Palestinian civilians to leave) and take control of Gaza," said Smotrich. "The demobilization of the Gaza Strip is a political goal. The IDF's full operational control of the entire Gaza Strip for years to come, ensuring that a security threat does not develop from there again against the citizens of Israel, and the residents of the south is a political goal."
"Encouraging the voluntary immigration of the Hamas-supporting population from Gaza so that there will be less Israel-hating anti-Semites who wake up every morning with the desire to murder every Jew is a political goal that will create a different reality on the ground and shine a completely different light on all discussions of 'the day after.'"
"Do they expect us to exchange a cow for a donkey?" he asked, referring to the American plan for the Palestinian Authority to gain control of Gaza and the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem." While our heroes are battling the Palestinian terrorist entity from Judea and Samaria in the Gaza Strip, (the Americans) want us to establish a terrorist state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza; a state that will endanger Israel's existence."
"We have clear political goals which are completely different from the political and security concept that the Left has enshrined since the damned Oslo Accords and they are supposed to promote Zionism, strengthen settlement, and fortify the security of the State of Israel," he continued.
Smotrich chided Biden for his aspirations toward Palestinian statehood. "Following repeated publications that the Biden administration and other political parties intend to impose a dangerous political goal on Israel and promote an initiative for the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and unilateral recognition of it, at the end of last week I contacted Prime Minister Netanyahu and demanded that our government makes a decision ruling out that possibility in its entirety," insisted the minister.
"I am happy that he responded to my request and introduced a decision according to which the government opposes any unilateral political dictate which was unanimously approved and today will be submitted to the Knesset for approval," related Smotrich. "I expect it to be accepted by a huge majority of the Zionist parties God willing. Only the Arab parties that support terrorism will probably vote against it. I I find it hard to believe that a party that defines itself as Zionist and democratic could support external and undemocratic coercion of Israel to commit suicide and endanger its security."
"A party that invites unilateral dictates from foreign entities does not deserve to represent the public in the State of Israel. They can vote directly in the American Congress instead of the Israeli Knesset. But today's statement is not enough and we must make it very clear to the world that we will not agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state, neither unilaterally nor through negotiations of any kind."
"The establishment of a Palestinian state after the terrible massacre of October 7," said Smotrich, "will be a reward for terrorism and an encouragement to all our enemies in the Middle East. It will convey that through murder, massacre and rape, political achievements can be achieved that will end in the surrender of the State of Israel. The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the land Israel and near all major population centers is an existential danger to the future of the State of Israel, and we will never agree to that. Today's decision in the Knesset is a first step in the right direction, but it is not enough."
At the end of his remarks, Smotrich said, "I call on Prime Minister Netanyahu to explicitly announce that unilateral measures will be met with unilateral measures, and that in the face of any unilateral measures taken against the State of Israel, Israel will act unilaterally to cancel the Oslo Accords, completely and immediately stop all funding transferred to the Palestinian Authority, and completely dissolve the Palestinian Authority."