Finance Minister and Religious Zionism party chairman Bezalel Smotrich responded sharply Wednesday to Democrats party leader Yair Golan, who opposed his plan to replicate the resettlement revolution from Judea and Samaria in the Negev and Galilee.
1+Golan said earlier that Smotrich intends to operate in the Galilee the same way he operated in Judea and Samaria—remarks interpreted as criticism of the government’s policy to strengthen Jewish settlement in the north.
Smotrich shot back: “Yair, I recognize that you’re not really connecting with the processes of Judaizing the Galilee. No problem, it will happen anyway when we win. This time we can’t gamble on the Galilee. Vote Religious Zionism!”
1+People close to Smotrich say this is one of the party’s central goals in the upcoming elections. According to them, after the moves he led in Judea and Samaria—which included regularizing dozens of communities, extensive infrastructure investments, and accelerated construction—the next target is strengthening Jewish presence in the Negev and Galilee.
Those around the minister also claim he intends to restore governance and strengthen the Jewish majority in these areas, against the backdrop of what they describe as illegal takeover and the state’s retreat over the years.