Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich held a special press conference today (Tuesday) following reports of the request of the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague to issue a secret arrest warrant against him. Smotrich presented a belligerent line, pointing the accusing finger directly at the ‘Palestinian’ Authority and announcing the opening of a direct front against it.
Smotrich began his remarks by referring to the arrest warrants issued against Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Galant, calling the move against him “a continuation of a policy of security suicide” that biased bodies are imposing on Israel. “Issuing arrest warrants against the Prime Minister, against the Defense Minister and against the Finance Minister is a declaration of war,” the minister declared. “And in the face of a declaration of war, we will respond with a hair-raising war. I am not a submissive Jew. The PA started a war and it will receive a war.”
According to Smotrich, the ‘Palestinian’ Authority is behind the legal moves in The Hague, which he called “a terrorist organization mistakenly called the ‘Palestinian’ Authority.” According to him, “The hands are the hands of The Hague, but the voice is the voice of the PA. This despicable body is the one behind the attack on ministers who dare to implement a policy that raises its head against them.” As a first step in response, the minister announced immediate operational action: “From today, any economic or other target that I have the power to attack within the framework of my authority will be attacked. Not talk and gimmicks – actions. I hereby declare the first goal: immediately after I finish my speech, I will sign an order to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar within the framework of my authority as minister in the Ministry of Defense. I promise all our enemies – this is just the beginning.”
During his speech, Smotrich reviewed his achievements at the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Defense, emphasizing the revolution he carried out in Judea and Samaria as the main factor in the international pressure against him. “We thwarted the dangerous Fayyad plan, we established over 100 new communities and 160 agricultural farms that protect one million dunams of state land,” he said.
The minister emphasized that he was proud of his actions and that he was willing to pay the personal price involved in the arrest warrants: “They don’t move me. I am willing to pay personal prices to serve my people. It is a price that I pay with pride and with my head held high. Israel will not stutter any longer – this is our country and we will treat it like a home.”
As mentioned, last month the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court filed a secret request for an arrest warrant against senior Israeli officials. According to a report on the Middle East Eye website, one of the senior officials is Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. According to the report, the request was filed on April 2 and includes suspicions of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against ‘Palestinians’ in Judea and Samaria.
According to the report, the charges against Smotrich include forced displacement as a war crime and a crime against humanity, transferring an Israeli population to an occupied territory, as well as persecution and apartheid. The report claims that if the court’s Pre-Trial Chamber approves the request, it will be the first arrest warrant issued by an international court for the crime of apartheid.