37 Facts About Bezalel Smotrich

Bezalel Yoel Smotrich is an Israeli far-right politician and lawyer who has served as the Minister of Finance since 2022.

Bezalel Smotrich's residence was built illegally outside the settlement proper.

Bezalel Smotrich is a supporter of expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank, opposes Palestinian statehood, and denies the existence of a Palestinian people.

Bezalel Smotrich was born in Haspin, a religious Israeli settlement in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and grew up in the Beit El settlement, deemed illegal under international law, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Bezalel Smotrich's grandfather Shimon was a 13th-generation native of Jerusalem, and his grandmother Sara was born in Metula to a family of Zionist pioneers.

Bezalel Smotrich's father was an Orthodox rabbi, and Bezalel Smotrich received a religious education, attending Mercaz HaRav Kook, Yashlatz, and Yeshivat Kedumim.

Bezalel Smotrich earned a BA in law from Ono Academic College, and began a master's degree in public and international law from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, though he did not complete it.

Bezalel Smotrich is an Orthodox Jew, and is married to Revital, with whom he has seven children.

Bezalel Smotrich was held in jail for three weeks but not charged after refusing to speak.

Bezalel Smotrich is co-founder of the NGO Regavim, which monitors and pursues legal action in the Israeli court system against constructions undertaken by Palestinians, Bedouins, and other Arabs in Israel and the West Bank without Israeli permits.

The party ran in the elections as part of The Jewish Home, with Bezalel Smotrich placed eighth on its list for the elections.

Bezalel Smotrich was elected to the Knesset as the party won eight seats.

Bezalel Smotrich is said to have played a key role in Israeli legislation to legalize the annexation of Palestinian lands and a law banning advocates for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement from visiting Israel.

Bezalel Smotrich is a co-sponsor of proposed legislation change stating that sources of Jewish religious tradition such as the Torah have to be considered when dealing with legal matters that cannot be decided by legislation or court rulings.

In June 2019 Bezalel Smotrich campaigned for the Ministry of Justice, saying that he sought the portfolio to "restore the Torah justice system".

Bezalel Smotrich initiated legislation which passed in the Knesset calling for government ministers, Knesset members, judges, senior military personnel, and police officers to declare their assets every six years.

Bezalel Smotrich's mission is to develop the settlements and unify their administration with that of the Israeli territory.

Bezalel Smotrich said that Israel should act "in a way that conveys that the master of the house has gone crazy".

On 30 October 2023 Bezalel Smotrich froze the transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority.

On 5 November 2023 Bezalel Smotrich expressed support for the blockade of the Gaza Strip, saying that fuel will not enter Gaza "under any circumstances".

Bezalel Smotrich stated that "Gaza will be under Israeli control" after the Gaza war.

On 14 November 2023, Bezalel Smotrich called for a "voluntary emigration" of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to other countries, stating that Israel would "no longer be able to accept the existence of an independent entity in Gaza".

Bezalel Smotrich was expected to return to the Knesset in early 2025, pushing out Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer, which would have balanced out the amount of Knesset seats belonging to Otzma and RZP, following Otzma's withdrawal from the government, but Bezalel Smotrich withdrew his resignation before it came into effect as negotiations were underway.

Bezalel Smotrich was expected to submit his resignation in April 2025, which would have led to the departure of Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer but Smotrich withdrew it as Netanyahu made a deal that would enable Almog Cohen to resign instead and former MK Zvi Sukkot would return to the Knesset in his place.

Bezalel Smotrich is a supporter of expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and opposes Palestinian statehood.

In July 2015 Bezalel Smotrich caused controversy by declaring in a Knesset Interior meeting that developers in Israel should not have to sell homes to Arabs.

Bezalel Smotrich has argued that price tag assaults on Palestinian people or property, while criminal in nature, are not to be classified as examples of terrorism, which he defined as "only violence carried out by an enemy within the framework of war against us".

Bezalel Smotrich has advocated a shoot-to-kill policy for the military when they deal with Palestinians throwing stones.

Bezalel Smotrich refused to delete the tweet, saying that for Twitter, "freedom of speech is only reserved for one side of the political spectrum", and that he stood by his tweet.

On 27 November 2023 Bezalel Smotrich said that "there are 2 million Nazis" in the West Bank, "who hate us, exactly as do the Nazis of Hamas-ISIS in Gaza".

Bezalel Smotrich's comments were condemned by Germany, the UK and the EU.

Bezalel Smotrich didn't specify the ministers, but recently he's publicly criticized Ben-Gvir and Smotrich for statements he described as 'sinister'.

Bezalel Smotrich opposes gay marriage, and says that he wants to "promote the traditional family".

In 2006, Bezalel Smotrich helped organize a "beast parade", where participants led goats and donkeys through the streets, in opposition to the Jerusalem gay pride parade.

Bezalel Smotrich has stated that gay pride parades are "worse than bestiality".

In July 2016 Bezalel Smotrich stated he was "not willing to recognize Reform conversions and their fake religion".

In June 2019, while pushing to be appointed Justice minister, Bezalel Smotrich stated: "We want the justice portfolio because we want to restore the Torah justice system", and that the country should aspire to run itself as "in the days of King David".