Smotrich Loses Faith in Netanyahu: "A Partial Step, Surrender to Terrorism"

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Saturday evening that he has lost confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ability to achieve a decisive victory in Gaza. The shocking statement was made in a video clip posted on Smotrich's official account on the "X" platform, where he expressed his disappointment with the government's current direction.

In the video, Smotrich began by praising the military efforts over the past 22 months, noting that Israel has paid "heavy prices" but achieved "great accomplishments on all fronts." Specifically regarding Gaza, he stated that the Israeli army had inflicted "severe damage on Hamas," eliminated "most of its leaders," and destroyed "a significant part of its terrorist infrastructure." However, he emphasized that "the work is not yet complete, and the war's objectives have not been fully achieved," a point that has become the focus of his disagreement with Netanyahu.

Smotrich revealed details of a plan he had worked on intensively with the Prime Minister to secure a "decisive victory" in Gaza. He described the plan as "a combination of swift military decisiveness and an immediate political step," asserting that it would have made Hamas pay "a heavy price," destroyed its military and civilian capabilities, and imposed "unprecedented pressure to release the hostages," while also boosting the morale of the Israeli people. He noted that Netanyahu had initially supported this plan, giving the impression that he was "seeking decisiveness and intended this time to go all the way," but unfortunately, he "retreated from his position" at the last minute.