Bezalel Smotrich

Israel set to approve funding plan for 61 West Bank settlements - report

Axios's Barak Ravid reported on X/Twitter that the proposal is scheduled to be brought before the cabinet for approval. Additional details about the plan were not immediately available.

|ByREUTERS
View of the settlement of Sa-Nur in the West Bank, April 19, 2026.
Shas leader MK Aryeh Deri seen during a Shas party meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 23, 2023.

Ministerial committee approves Torah Study bill amid coalition tensions

Netanyahu’s coalition advances the Torah Study law, despite opposition and warnings that the bill could worsen draft evasion amid Israel’s manpower shortage.

|ByKESHET NEEV
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and committee head MK Zvika Fogel attend a National Security committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament on March 24, 2026.

Ben-Gvir proposes arresting family members of Hezbollah terrorists

The National Security Minister called for Knesset members to "think outside the box about Hezbollah," arguing that arresting women and youth would hurt Hezbollah members the most.

|ByAVI SOLOMON
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper at the UN Security Council, New York, February 18, 2026; illustrative.

Some 140 UK Labour MPs urge government to ban trade with West Bank settlements

The letter noted that countries such as Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium have either already implemented bans or are in the process of doing so.

|ByMATHILDA HELLER

Business owners protest at Knesset as Smotrich raises Israel's import tax exemption

The government approved Smotrich's order on Sunday and is expected to be finalized through a vote in the Knesset plenum on Monday evening.

FEBRUARY 23, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Finance Minister and Head of the Religious Zionist Party Bezalel Smotrich leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, February 16, 2026.

Netanyahu's political opposition must present clear policies - opinion

Israel’s opposition unites against Netanyahu, but lacks policies to present a clear alternative government.

FEBRUARY 22, 2026BySUSAN HATTIS ROLEF
Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel creeps toward West Bank annexation as election season approaches - opinion

The de facto annexation of the West Bank is the natural byproduct of a political system where words are cheap and real power operates without transparency.

FEBRUARY 20, 2026ByYAAKOV KATZ
A Palestinian man walks past a fence decorated with Israeli flags installed by Jewish settlers in the northern West Bank. The de facto annexation of the West Bank is the natural byproduct of a political system where words are cheap and real power operates without transparency, the writer says.

If the political elite keep performing for cameras, Israel will never be able to heal - editorial

Since October 7, opposition figures have argued that they would have governed, prepared, and responded better than Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition.

FEBRUARY 20, 2026ByJPOST EDITORIAL
A VIEW of Kibbutz Be’eri shows a destroyed home from a world left behind on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists, Palestinian civilians, UNWRA workers, and media members infiltrated Gaza border communities and massacred 1,200 people.

Hamas allegedly asked Mansour Abbas to ensure Netanyahu's re-election in 2021 - report

The official reportedly believed that "Netanyahu was looking for continued calm and quiet understandings, while a new government would be dragged into an operation in the Gaza Strip."

FEBRUARY 19, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ra'am party head MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 12, 2026.

Former PM Naftali Bennett won't boycott Ben-Gvir or Smotrich, leaked recordings reveal

In addition to saying he would not boycott the far-right ministers, Bennett was heard in the recordings describing Ben-Gvir as a "very unserious person" and Smotrich as "very combative."

FEBRUARY 19, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett attends a Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, February 17, 2026

Women's integration into IDF 'disaster': Rabbis send letter to Netanyahu demanding intervention

The letter came in response to the military’s new program, which would include women in the Armored Corps. It was written by leading rabbis in the religious Zionist sector.

FEBRUARY 18, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
There is a high demand for combat roles among women in the November-December 2023 draft

UN Security Council calls urgent meeting to discuss recent Israeli West Bank policies

The session, initiated by the British Foreign Secretary, comes less than a week after the Israeli government reopened land registration in Area C for the first time since 1967.

FEBRUARY 18, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Mohamed Abushahab, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council during the meeting on the situation in the Middle East, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, US, February 18, 2026.

Smotrich doubles down on refusal to enlist daughter, claims IDF is 'no place for women'

In an interview, Smotrich also addressed his comments on crime rates in Arab communities, saying, "There is a culture of murder, killing, and jihad in Arab society."

FEBRUARY 18, 2026By103FM
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich arrives to a conference of the Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon in Jerusalem, December 25, 2025

Smotrich announces intention to abolish Oslo Accords, dismantle PA during next term

Smotritch suggested the dismantling of the PA in favor of creating a new military administration to govern the area, with the ultimate aim of applying full Israeli sovereignty over the region.

FEBRUARY 17, 2026ByAVRAHAM BLOCH, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Finance Minister and Head of the Religious Zionist Party Bezalel Smotrich leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, February 16, 2026.