Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich took to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday to sharply criticize former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot following an interview in which Eisenkot voiced opposition to advancing Israeli residential construction in the strategic E1 corridor between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim.
1+“The cat is out of the bag,” Smotrich wrote. “The surrenders of an Eisenkot-Lieberman-Golan government have begun even before they take power.” Smotrich directly tied opposition to Israeli development in the sector to the creation of a ‘Palestinian’ state: “Anyone who opposes construction in E1 supports the establishment of a ‘Palestinian’ state—even if they lie to you and attempt to posture otherwise.”
To substantiate his point, Smotrich highlighted an excerpt from Eisenkot’s interview where he was asked whether it was correct to publish building tenders in the area connecting Jerusalem to Ma’ale Adumim. Eisenkot responded: “Not now. It is an error that exacts an international price from us. I remind you that Netanyahu himself opposed it.”
1+Earlier this month, the Israeli government initiated concrete operational steps to advance long-delayed construction in the E1 corridor, formally issuing building tenders. The strategic move sparked immediate diplomatic pushback from several European nations—including France, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom, which threatened to implement targeted sanctions in response. Right-wing leaders maintain that developing E1 is essential to ensure contiguous Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and secure the eastern gateway to Jerusalem.