Smotrich Holds Party Meeting at West Bank Outpost Site Amid Local Objections

Bezeq Local Council and the Popular Committee in Majd al-Krum condemned on Tuesday a decision by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to hold a meeting for his Religious Zionism party at a site near the town, which they described as a "pioneering outpost." In a joint statement, they asserted that the move aims to impose a new reality on the ground and transform the town's lands into a staging area for settlement projects.

The meeting follows the recent dismantling of an outpost established by West Bank settlers in the area, which had sparked protests from Majd al-Krum residents and legal action demanding its evacuation and the restoration of land access to its owners. Concurrently, a plan was proposed to reorganize activity at the site in a different format, including the establishment of a pastoral point hundreds of meters from the previous location, reducing the number of tents, and employing local guards instead of settlers from the West Bank.

Smotrich's party meeting at the site occurs amidst his previous calls to strengthen Jewish presence in the Galilee and Negev regions, advocating for the adoption of what he termed a "settlement model" from the West Bank in these areas.