Bezalel Smotrich
Minister of Finance and leader of the Religious Zionism party, Bezalel Smotrich directs settlement expansion in Judea and Samaria / the West Bank, has proposed annexing approximately 82% of the territory, and takes a hard line on the war in Gaza and judicial reform.
- Ideology
- National-religious right, annexationist religious Zionism
- Current role
- Minister of Finance; chairman of the Religious Zionism party
- Born
- February 27, 1980Haspin (Golan Heights)
Key takeaways
- 01
Minister of Finance since January 2023, leader of the Religious Zionism party.
- 02
Has held delegated authority since February 2023 over the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria / the West Bank, which directs settlement expansion.
- 03
Secured final approval of the E1 project (approximately 3,400 housing units) in August 2025.
- 04
Presented a proposal in September 2025 to annex approximately 82% of Judea and Samaria / the West Bank.
- 05
An architect of the 2023 judicial reform; launched a new phase of reform in September 2026 with Simcha Rothman.
- 06
Supported putting the Haredi conscription law on hold in March 2026 to preserve coalition unity, before his party voted in July 2026 to ease its enforcement.
- 07
Leads the joint Religious Zionism-Zehut list in the October 27, 2026 elections; signed a surplus-vote agreement with Likud and says he is aiming for the Ministry of Defense.
Controversies
In December 2025, he described the president of the Supreme Court as a “violent and destructive megalomaniac” and threatened to “bring him down,” remarks condemned by the judiciary and several political figures.
In April 2024, during a Mimouna celebration, his remarks about the “total annihilation” of Gaza were described as calls for genocide by a Haaretz editorial.
Between 2021 and 2023, several statements about Palestinians and Arab parties, including “there is no Palestinian people” in Paris, prompted international condemnation.
Since February 2023, he has held delegated authority over the Civil Administration in the West Bank, regarded by NGOs as de facto annexation. A petition against this delegation was rejected in January 2026.
Subject to sanctions since June 2025 by several Western countries for incitement to violence, and targeted by coordinated entry bans, including by France in June 2026.
In 2026, he raised the VAT exemption threshold on imports by decree, defying the Knesset, which ultimately overturned the measure in June 2026.
Born on February 27, 1980, in Haspin, on the Golan Heights, Bezalel Smotrich is a lawyer by training (Ono Academic College) and studied at a yeshiva (Merkaz HaRav Kook). A religious-nationalist activist since the mid-2000s, he co-founded the NGO Regavim. He was arrested in 2005 by the Shin Bet, in possession of 700 liters of gasoline, on suspicions related to opposition to the Gaza disengagement, and held for three weeks without charge.
Elected to the Knesset in 2015, he became Minister of Transport in 2019 and then Minister of Finance on January 11, 2023, alongside delegated authority over the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria / the West Bank from February 2023; a petition challenging this delegation was rejected by the High Court of Justice in January 2026.
Since 2023, he has advocated a maximalist approach to the war in Gaza and, in October 2025, opposed the truce plan put forward by the Trump administration. He directs an active settlement expansion policy, with final approval of the E1 project (approximately 3,400 housing units, August 2025) and a proposal to annex approximately 82% of Judea and Samaria / the West Bank (September 2025). He advocates dismantling the Palestinian Authority and repealing the Oslo Accords. His remarks on Gaza and Palestinian identity have sparked several major controversies (details in “Controversies”).
An architect of the 2023 judicial reform, he launched a new reform plan with Simcha Rothman in September 2026, after describing the president of the Supreme Court in December 2025 as a “violent and destructive megalomaniac,” remarks that were widely condemned. On Haredi conscription, he supported putting the exemption bill on hold in March 2026 to preserve coalition unity, while his party voted in July 2026 for a provision preventing the arrest of Haredim who fail to comply with conscription requirements.
Bezalel Smotrich trained as a lawyer (Ono Academic College) and studied at the Merkaz HaRav Kook yeshiva. He has been a religious-nationalist activist since the mid-2000s. He co-founded the NGO Regavim, which campaigns against unauthorized Palestinian construction in Judea and Samaria/West Bank.
In 2005, the Shin Bet arrested him with 700 liters of gasoline in his possession, on suspicions linked to opposition to the Gaza disengagement. He was held for three weeks without charge.
Bezalel Smotrich was elected to the Knesset in 2015, second on the Tkuma/National Union sub-list within the joint Jewish Home list. He became Minister of Transportation and Road Safety in 2019.
He took office as Finance Minister on December 29, 2022. Starting in February 2023, he also gained delegated authority over the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria/West Bank, which manages settlement expansion. NGOs called this delegation de facto annexation; a petition challenging it was rejected by the High Court of Justice in January 2026.
On August 20, 2025, he secured final approval of the E1 settlement project (about 3,400 housing units), which he called "historic." On September 3, 2025, he presented a proposal to annex about 82% of Judea and Samaria/West Bank.
Since 2023, Bezalel Smotrich has taken a maximalist line on the war in Gaza, focused on fully demilitarizing Hamas. In October 2025, he opposed the truce plan backed by the Trump administration. He wants to dismantle the Palestinian Authority and cancel the Oslo Accords.
Smotrich was one of the architects of the 2023 judicial reform. On December 29, 2025, he called Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit a "violent, destructive megalomaniac," remarks that were widely condemned. In September 2026, he launched a new reform plan with Simcha Rothman.
On Haredi conscription, in March 2026 he supported putting the exemption bill on hold to keep the coalition united. In July 2026, his party voted for a provision preventing the arrest of Haredim who do not report for military service. In February 2026, the Knesset canceled his decree raising the VAT exemption ceiling on personal imports. He immediately raised it again by a new decree, which the Knesset also canceled in June 2026.
On December 29, 2025, Bezalel Smotrich called Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit a "violent, destructive megalomaniac" who was trying to "steal Israeli democracy," and threatened to "run him over." The remarks were condemned by the spokesperson for the court system; by Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, who called them "a red line crossed, which could end in blood"; by MK Gilad Kariv, who warned that if a judge were assassinated, "the responsibility will lie with Smotrich and his accomplices"; and by Israel Bar Association head Amit Bachar, who said Smotrich "should be behind bars, rather than in the government."
At a Mimouna celebration on April 29, 2024, he said of Gaza: "No half measures. Rafah, Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat: total annihilation," quoting a biblical verse about wiping out Amalek. A Haaretz editorial titled "Smotrich Must Pay the Price for His Repeated Calls for Genocide of Palestinians" described these remarks as genocidal. This is the newspaper's description, not a word Smotrich himself used.
In Paris, on March 19, 2023, he said: "There is no such thing as Palestinians, because there is no such thing as a Palestinian people." The remark drew official condemnation from the United States and criticism from European diplomats. In the Knesset, on October 13, 2021, responding to heckling from Arab MKs, he said: "It's a mistake that Ben-Gurion didn't finish the job and didn't throw you out in 1948." On September 12, 2022, at Reichman University, he warned of "thousands of Arab rioters, equipped with the best weapons" committing "massacres," and called for banning Arab parties.
Since February 23, 2023, he has held delegated authority over the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria/West Bank, which manages settlement expansion. NGOs such as Yesh Din and Peace Now call this delegation de facto annexation. A Yesh Din petition challenging the delegation was rejected by the High Court of Justice in January 2026.
Since June 10, 2025, he has been under sanctions (asset freezes) by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway, together with Itamar Ben Gvir, for inciting extremist violence against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria/West Bank. Slovenia and the Netherlands banned him from entering their territory in July 2025 over "genocidal statements." On June 9, 2026, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Norway jointly banned his entry, on grounds linked to settlement in Palestinian territory and a "recolonization" of Gaza. The European Union itself has not adopted sanctions against him, because its member states could not agree.
In December 2025, he raised the VAT exemption threshold on personal imports by decree from $75 to $150. The Knesset canceled this decree in February 2026, by 59 votes to 25. Defying that vote, he immediately signed a new decree setting the threshold at $130. The Knesset canceled this second measure on June 1, 2026, by 59 votes to 23, restoring the original $75 threshold.