Smotrich Slams UN Chief for 'Inciting Terrorism' Against Israelis in West Bank

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday, accusing him of inciting terrorism and endangering half a million Israeli Jews living in the West Bank. Smotrich's remarks came in response to Guterres's speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, where the UN chief condemned Israeli policies in the West Bank and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Smotrich stated on social media platform X that Guterres's "wild incitement" provides "a tailwind for terrorism" and "permits the shedding of blood" of Israeli citizens in the West Bank. He further attacked Guterres regarding UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, stating that the head of an organization that "financed and sponsored" Hamas's October 7th massacre should not lecture Israel.

Smotrich also defended his settlement policy in the West Bank, asserting that he is "proud to be creating a settlement revolution" that "liquidates the idea of a Palestinian state" and "fortifies Israel's security."

Guterres, in his UN address, had expressed grave concern over the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. He described the post-October 7th Israeli response in Gaza as an attack involving "killing and destruction on a scale I have not seen in all my years as Secretary-General." Regarding the West Bank, Guterres noted that "violence, displacement, and the expansion of settlements are destroying the path to peace and raising fears of ethnic cleansing," warning that the two-state solution cannot be allowed to disappear.