"Together, we will kill the idea of a Palestinian state," said the Israeli finance minister.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Wednesday praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his reported support for farming outposts in Judea and Samaria. Smotrich thanked the prime minister “for supporting the revolution we are carrying out in Judea and Samaria, among other things through the establishment of 132 outposts that protect 700,000 dunams [173,000 acres] from illegal Arab encroachment.”
“Together, we will kill the idea of a Palestinian state and ensure that Jews will be able to live and move about in safety everywhere,” he concluded. Netanyahu has led an unprecedented drive to expand control of Judea and Samaria, approving some 50,000 housing units and over 50 new Jewish communities since late 2022. Smotrich was responding to a Ynet report revealing the summary of a recent Cabinet discussion, according to which Netanyahu expressed support for legalizing Jewish farms in Judea and Samaria as part of what he described as “a positive response to Palestinian activity in the area.”
While many of the farming outposts in Judea and Samaria are built without permission, Ynet noted, their pastures are often legal and officially allocated to them by the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration, which Smotrich oversees. (Read More)
