Ex-Shin Bet Official in Gantz Party Calls for Evacuating Settlements

Yoram Cohen, the second-highest-ranking official in Benny Gantz's "Yisrael Beytenu" party and a former head of the Shin Bet security agency, has sparked controversy by calling for the evacuation of settlements and outposts in Judea and Samaria that were established without government approval. Cohen, who wears a kippah, stated in an interview that these settlements, particularly those promoted by Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich, should be dismantled.

The remarks drew sharp criticism from right-wing politicians, who interpreted them as revealing the true intentions of Gantz's party regarding settlement in the West Bank. The Likud party accused Cohen of exposing that Gantz would form a "left-wing government that will destroy settlements" and establish a Palestinian state. Smotrich echoed these concerns, stating he had warned for months that a Gantz government would evacuate settlements and outposts. He urged voters to support the right-wing bloc to prevent such an outcome.

Smotrich also used the controversy to reiterate his call for retired Brigadier General Ofer Winter to join a unified national camp to protect the settlement enterprise. Those within the national camp emphasized the importance of maintaining right-wing rule to prevent the evacuation of settlements and the establishment of a Palestinian terror state. They expressed confidence that the settlement movement in Judea and Samaria would continue to thrive despite efforts to undermine it.