Bezalel Smotrich | |
|---|---|
 Smotrich in 2023 | |
| Ministerial roles | |
| 2019–2020 | Minister of Transport |
| 2022– | Minister of Finance |
| 2022– | Minister in theDefense Ministry |
| Faction represented in theKnesset | |
| 2015–2019 | The Jewish Home |
| 2019 | Union of Right-Wing Parties |
| 2019 | Yamina |
| 2019–2020 | The Jewish Home–Tkuma |
| 2020–2021 | Yamina |
| 2021–2023 | Religious Zionist Party |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1980-02-27)27 February 1980 (age 45) |
Bezalel Yoel Smotrich (Hebrew:בְּצַלְאֵל יוֹאֵל סְמוֹטְרִיץ׳; born 27 February 1980) is an Israeli politician and lawyer who has served as theMinister of Finance since 2022. The leader of theNational Religious Party–Religious Zionism,[1] he previously served as aKnesset member forthe Jewish Home andYamina, leaving in 2023 after resigning under theNorwegian Law,[2] allowing him to remain a minister in the government while his seat in the Knesset could be taken by another candidate from his party.
Smotrich is a settler in theIsraeli-occupiedWest Bank, living in the settlement ofKedumim, which isillegal under international law. His residence was also built illegally outside the settlement proper.[3]
Smotrich's statements, often dubbed "racist" and "homophobic", have led to several controversies.[4] As part of theIsraeli far-right,[5] he is a supporter of expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank, opposesPalestinian statehood, anddenies the existence of aPalestinian people.[4] As minister with powers in the occupied Palestinian territories, he has led clandestine Israeli efforts to annex territories in the West Bank, first as afait accompli, then by force of law.[6][7]
.jpg)
Smotrich was born inHaspin, a religiousIsraeli settlement in theIsraeli-occupiedGolan Heights, and grew up in theBeit Elsettlement, deemed illegal under international law, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. His last name is derived from the Ukrainian town ofSmotrych, where he says his ancestors lived.[8] His grandfather Yaakov immigrated toMandatory Palestine beforeWorld War II, and subsequently lost his parents, who drowned on anAliyah Bet ship trying to reach Palestine, while his grandmother Bruria survivedthe Holocaust before immigrating to Israel. His other grandfather Shimon was a 13th-generation native ofJerusalem, and his grandmother Sara was born inMetula to a family of Zionist pioneers.[9]
Smotrich's father was anOrthodoxrabbi, and Smotrich received a religious education, attendingMercaz HaRav Kook,Yashlatz, andYeshivatKedumim. During his short service in theIsrael Defense Forces, he served as a secretary in the Operations Division of the General Staff. He earned aBA in law fromOno Academic College, and although he made several public statements proclaiming to have a master's degree in public and international law from theHebrew University of Jerusalem, he did not complete it.[10] He is licensed as a lawyer.[11] Smotrich is anOrthodox Jew, and is married to Revital, with whom he has seven children.[12] The family lives outside the Kedumim settlement in the West Bank, in a house that was illegally built outside state land and in breach of the settlement's master plan.[3][13]
According to formerShin Bet deputy chiefYitzhak Ilan, who interrogated him at the time, during the protests against theIsraeli disengagement from Gaza, Smotrich was arrested in 2005 while in possession of 700 litres of gasoline on suspicion of participating in an attempt to blow upAyalon Highway, a major arterial road. He was held in jail for three weeks but not charged after refusing to speak.[14][15] This account was corroborated by Dvir Kariv, who was an agent with Shin Bet at the time.[16]
In 2006 he helped organize the "Beast Parade" as part of protests against agay pride parade in Jerusalem, although he later admitted regret at the incident.[17]
He is co-founder ofRegavim, anon-governmental organization which monitors and pursues legal action in the Israeli court system against constructions undertaken by Palestinians,Bedouins, and other Arabs in Israel and the West Bank without Israeli permits.[18]
In the build-up to the2015 Knesset elections, Smotrich won second place on the Tkuma list after party leaderUri Ariel.[19] The party ran in the elections as part ofThe Jewish Home, with Smotrich placed eighth on its list for the elections.[20] He was elected to the Knesset as the party won eight seats.[21] In 2018, he announced that he would challenge Uri Ariel for the leadership of the National Union faction.[22] On 14 January 2019, he defeated Ariel in what was described as a "landslide victory", although it was a very small election, with 123 votes counted.[23]
He is said to have played a key role in Israeli legislation to legalize the annexation of Palestinian lands and a law banning advocates for theBoycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement from visiting Israel.[24][25]
Smotrich is a co-sponsor of proposed legislation from 2015 stating that sources of Jewish religious tradition such as theTorah have to be considered when dealing with legal matters that cannot be decided by legislation or court rulings. Other sponsors of this legislation areMiki Zohar fromLikud,Yoav Ben-Tzur fromShas, andNissan Slomiansky from The Jewish Home.[26]
In June 2019 Smotrich campaigned for theMinistry of Justice, saying that he sought the portfolio to "restore theTorah justice system".[27] Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu distanced himself from the comments, and appointed openly gay MKAmir Ohana to the post.[28] According toChannel 13, Smotrich subsequently requested theMinistry of Diaspora Affairs, but was not granted the position due to fears that he would strain ties between Israel and theJewish diaspora.[29] He was appointed theMinistry of Transport and Road Safety.[30]
Smotrich initiated legislation which passed in the Knesset calling for government ministers, Knesset members, judges, senior military personnel, and police officers to declare their assets every six years.[31]
.jpeg)
On 21 November 2022, in a compromise with theReligious Zionist Party, it was reported that prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu would appoint Smotrich asMinister of Finance in Netanyahu's incoming government.[32]
He was also expected to be given a position within the Ministry of Defense, which would give him "authority over civil affairs in the West Bank".[33] In February 2023 he was entrusted with a large part of the administration of theoccupied West Bank. His mission is to develop the settlements and unify their administration with that of the Israeli territory. After a Palestinian attack on settlers, he called for "striking the cities of terror and its instigators without mercy, with tanks and helicopters". He also said that Israel should act "in a way that conveys that the master of the house has gone crazy".[34][35]
On 30 October 2023 Smotrich froze the transfer of tax revenues to thePalestinian Authority.[36] The move was criticized by the United States.[37]
On 5 November 2023 Smotrich expressed support for theblockade of the Gaza Strip, saying that fuel will not enter Gaza "under any circumstances". He stated that "Gaza will be under Israeli control" after theGaza war.[38] On 14 November 2023, Smotrich called for a "voluntary emigration" of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to other countries, stating that Israel would "no longer be able to accept the existence of an independent entity in Gaza".[39]
Smotrich was expected to return to the Knesset in early 2025, pushing out Otzma Yehudit MKYitzhak Kroizer,[40] which would have balanced out the amount of Knesset seats belonging to Otzma and RZP, following Otzma's withdrawal from the government,[41] but Smotrich withdrew his resignation before it came into effect as negotiations were underway.[42]
He was expected to submit his resignation in April 2025, which would have led to the departure ofOtzma Yehudit MKYitzhak Kroizer[43] but Smotrich withdrew it as Netanyahu made a deal that would enableAlmog Cohen to resign instead and former MKZvi Sukkot would return to the Knesset in his place.[44]
On 10 June 2025 the governments of theUnited Kingdom,Canada,Australia,New Zealand andNorway announced that they would imposetravel bans on Smotrich and freeze his assets alongside National Security MinisterItamar Ben-Gvir, accusing them of incitingsettler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.[45][46] The decision was criticized by the two ministers and the United States.[47] Smotrich responded to the sanctions by orderingaccountant generalYahli Rotenberg [he] to cancel a policy that enabled correspondence between Israeli and Palestinian Authority banks. The move was reported to be an effort to collapse the PA's economy.[48] In July 2025, he was also sanctioned by the governments ofSlovenia[49] and theNetherlands.[50][51] In September 2025, the government ofSpain sanctioned him.[52]
| This article is part ofa series on |
| Conservatism in Israel |
|---|
 |
Literature
|
Related topics
|
Smotrich is a supporter of expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and opposes Palestinian statehood.[4]
In a 2015 interview Smotrich stated that "The Palestinian Authority is a burden, and Hamas is an asset",[53][54][55][56] noting that, while the PA was harming Israel in international forums, Hamas' status as a terrorist organization meant that "no one will recognize it, no one will give it status at the [International Criminal Court], no one will let it put forth a resolution at the U.N. Security Council".[53]
According to journalistRon Ben-Yishai, in his dual role as finance minister and adjunct minister in theMinistry of Defense, Smotrich intends to implement ideas set forth in his "Decisive Plan" (2017)[57] which, according to Ben-Yishai, foresees: "Flood[ing], simply so, the areas of Judea and Samaria with settlements and Jewish settlers. When this happens, the Palestinians are supposed to understand that they have no chance to get a state of their own, and they would have to choose between one of the three options – a life of subjugation under Israeli rule, emigration, or ashahid [martyr] death".[57]
In August 2025, Smotrich announced the resumption of the 3400-home settlement plan in theE1 area of theIsraeli-occupied West Bank.[58][59] By creating a physical link betweenMa'ale Adumim andJerusalem, international observers and the Palestinian Authority condemned the approval of the plan as it would seemingly "bury theidea of Palestinian state".[60][61] Smotrich controversially reiterated this intention, stating before the plan's final approval that the recognition of a Palestinian state "will receive an answer from us on the ground", and the idea of a Palestinian state was "being erased".[62][63] Alongside the planned resumption of the E1 plan, Smotrich also announced the approval of 350 homes to be built inAsa'el, an Israeli settlement.[64]
Ahead of the intended recognition of theState of Palestine by several nations in September 2025,[65][66] Smotrich called for Israel to annex "roughly 82 percent of the West Bank".[67][68] Through potential annexation, Smotrich highlighted that the Palestinian Authority could "continue to run their own affairs" on a local level, but that the "territory would be ours".[69]
Smotrich's radical views on Jewish-Arab relations are controversial within the Religious Zionist sector.[70]
In July 2015 Smotrich controversially declared in a Knesset Interior committee meeting that developers in Israel should not have to sell homes to Arabs. The meeting took place following accusations that Galil Homes refused to sell homes to Arabs inMa'alot, a northern Israeli town. Smotrich defended the developer, saying that, "Anyone who wants to protect the Jewish People and opposes mixed marriages is not a racist. Whoever wants to let Jews live a Jewish life without non-Jews is not a racist." He added that Jews are the ones deprived in Israel because "they don't get free land in the Negev", a reference to Bedouin. "I believe in God's words. I prefer that Jews make a living and wouldn't sell a house to Arabs."[71]
Smotrich has argued thatprice tag assaults on Palestinian people or property, while criminal in nature, are not to be classified as examples of terrorism, which he defined as "only violence carried out by an enemy within the framework of war against us". Commenting on a specific case, theDuma arson attack, in which a Palestinian family of 3 were killed, and for which a Jewish settler was indicted, Smotrich stated that to brand such deeds as terrorism causes "mortal and unjustified harm to human and civil rights".[72]
In April 2016 Smotrich tweeted that he supports segregation of Arab and Jewish women in hospital maternity wards: "It is natural that my wife would not want to lie down next to someone who just gave birth to a baby that might want to murder her baby in another 20 years."[73] The tweets were condemned by several Israeli politicians, including opposition leaderIsaac Herzog and Jewish Home leaderNaftali Bennett.[74][75]
Smotrich has advocated a shoot-to-kill policy for the military when they deal withPalestinians throwing stones. Asked what he would do were anotherintifada to arise, and a Palestinian child were to throw stones, he replied: "Either I will shoot him, or I will jail him, or I will expel him."[76][24]
In April 2018 Smotrich tweeted thatAhed Tamimi, a 17-year-old Palestinian serving an eight-month jail sentence for assaulting a soldier, incitement, and interfering with a soldier in the line of duty, "should have gotten a bullet, at least in the kneecap". Twitter responded by suspending his account for 12 hours and asking him to delete the tweet, saying that the tweet was "abusive" and could incite harassment. Smotrich refused to delete the tweet, saying that for Twitter, "freedom of speech is only reserved for one side of the political spectrum", and that he stood by his tweet.[77][78]
In October 2021 he stated to Arab lawmakers that, "You're here by mistake, it's a mistake thatBen-Gurion didn't finish the job and didn't throw you out in1948."[79]
On his arrival in Great Britain in February 2022, theBoard of Deputies of British Jews tweeted him, telling him to go back where he came from.[80]
After the2023 Huwara rampage on 26 February 2023 Smotrich said, on 1 March, "I believe that the village of Huwara should be wiped out. I believe that the state of Israel should do so, and not, God forbid, ordinary individuals."[81]
In March 2023, speaking from a podium that depicted a map of Israel that incorporated Jordan, Smotrichdenied Palestinian identity, saying that there isn't any "Palestinian history or culture", continuing by saying that there is "no such thing as a Palestinian people";[82] these remarks were decried as "racist, fascist, and extremist" by the Palestinian foreign ministry.[83]
On 27 November 2023 Smotrich said that "there are 2 millionNazis" in the West Bank, "who hate us, exactly as do the Nazis of Hamas-ISIS in Gaza".[84]
In November 2023 he called for Palestinian-free zones around Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying that Israel must "create sterile security areas around [Jewish] communities and roads and prevent Arabs from entering them, including for the purpose of olive harvesting."[85] In the same month he called for the "voluntary immigration of Gaza Arabs to the countries of the world" and said that "The state of Israel will no longer be able to put up with the existence of an independent entity in Gaza".[86] On 3 January 2024, Smotrich said that "more than 70% of the Israeli public today supports a humanitarian solution of encouraging the voluntary immigration of Gaza Arabs and their absorption in other countries."[87]
On 29 April 2024 Smotrich said, "There are no half measures ...Rafah,Deir al-Balah,Nuseirat – total annihiliation. 'Thou shalt blot out the remembrance ofAmalek from under heaven.' There is no place for them under heaven."[88] The Israeli newspaperHaaretz described his comments as a call to genocide.[89]
In August 2024 Smotrich said that the distribution of aid inside Gaza should be controlled by Israel, adding that "no one in the world would let us starve and thirst two million citizens [of Gaza], even though it may be just and moral until they return our hostages" from theOctober 7 attacks.[90] His comments were condemned by Germany, the UK and the EU.[91]
In May 2025, Smotrich said, about the situation in Gaza, that "Gaza will be totally destroyed" and about the Palestinians that "they will be totally despairing, understanding that there is no hope and nothing to look for in Gaza, and will be looking forrelocation to begin a new life in other places."[92] After a report byCNN highlighting over 1,800 buildings in the Gaza Strip being destroyed and Israel controlling 40% of Gaza's biggest city, Smotrich stated in September 2025 that he was discussing thepotential division of the territory with U.S. officials.[93][94] Smotrich stated that a "business plan was set by the most professional people there is and is on President Trump's table and how this thing turns into a real estate bonanza", further acknowledging that "we've done the demolition phase... Now we need to build".[95]
In October 2025, referencingSaudi Arabia, Smotrich said they can "keep riding camels in the sands of the Saudi desert" if the price ofnormalization is the establishment of a Palestinian state. He later apologized for his remark after it was widely condemned by the coalition and the opposition.[96]
The European Union's foreign policy chief has requested that some Israeli ministers be sanctioned by the 27 member states of the bloc for their 'hate messages' towards Palestinians. He didn't specify the ministers, but in 2024 he publicly criticizedBen-Gvir and Smotrich for statements he described as 'sinister'.[97]
Smotrich opposesgay marriage, and says that he wants to "promote the traditional family".[98] In 2006, Smotrich helped organize a "beast parade", where participants led goats and donkeys through the streets, in opposition to theJerusalem gay pride parade.[98] In 2015, he referred to homosexuals as "abnormal", stating: "At home, everyone can be abnormal, and people can form whatever family unit they want. But they can't make demands from me, as the state." In the same discussion, he told the audience: "I am a proudhomophobe."[17] He later apologized, and retracted his statement, saying: "Someone shouted from the crowd, and I responded inattentively."[99][100] In July 2015, after afatal stabbing attack on the Jerusalem gay pride parade, he referred to the march as an "abomination" and a "beast parade".[101][102] The following month, Smotrich accused LGBT organizations of controlling the media and silencing those who share his conservative views.[103][101] Ometz, an IsraeliNGO, filed a complaint to theKnesset Ethics Committee to intervene and investigate Smotrich's comments.[104]
In a leaked recording of a private conversation published in January 2023 byIsraeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, he said: "I won't stone gays [to death], and you won't force me toeat shrimp", and, in an apparent sarcastic remark, said: "I may be a far-right person, a homophobe, racist, fascist, but my word is my bond".[105][106][107] He has stated that gay pride parades are "worse than bestiality".[4]
In July 2016 Smotrich stated he was "not willing to recognize Reform conversions and their fake religion". The comment came following the passing of a Knesset bill permitting local religious authorities to bar non-Orthodox from using publicmikvahs for conversion ceremonies, which countered a Supreme Court ruling to the contrary.[108][109]
In June 2019, while pushing to be appointed Justice minister (after the previous Justice minister had been fired), Smotrich stated: "We want the justice portfolio because we want to restore the Torah justice system", and that the country should aspire to run itself as "in the days of King David".[110][27][111][112]
In August 2019 Smotrich stated: "We [Orthodox Jews] all would want the State of Israel to be run according to the Torah and Jewish law; it's just that we can't because there are people who think differently from us, and we have to get along with them."[113][114] TheUnited Right (a political alliance of right-wing parties, including The Jewish Home and Smotrich's Tkuma) referred to the negative reaction as a "media lynching", arguing that Smotrich "emphasized that he cannot and isn't interested in forcing it on others".[114][115] However, Smotrich had said: "The government makes decisions that affect us and impedes our liberties every day; so, it is simply about what decisions are in the public interest enough to justify coercion... We, too, can force our needs on others, provided we are convinced ourselves of the validity of our demands."[116]
In November 2022 he voiced support for aconspiracy theory that the assassin of late Israeli prime ministerYitzhak Rabin,right-wing extremistYigal Amir, was radicalized and incited to carry out the murder by the Israeli security agency Shin Bet. Likud MK and former Shin Bet chiefAvi Dichter criticized the statement as "unhinged from reality".[117]
An article by former United States ambassador to IsraelMartin Indyk and former JordanianUnited Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsZeid bin Ra'ad inForeign Policy argued that the insistence of Israeli right-wing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on curbing the powers of the Supreme Court stems from a desire to "more easily enact his vision of an Israel that extends unimpeded from river to sea", as the court had previously impeded the legalization of Israeli settlements built on privately owned Palestinian land.[118]
In July 2005, it was reported that the Shin Bet seized 700 liters of fuel and oil in the possession of five right-wingers, who allegedly sought to attack Israeli infrastructure to prevent the evacuation from Gaza's settlements. One of the detainees was Smotrich, who was held in a Shin Bet facility.
Media related toBezalel Smotrich at Wikimedia Commons
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Leader ofTkuma 2019–present | Incumbent |
|  | |
| | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
