Israeli Finance Minister Calls for Annexation and Gazan Emigration

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for Israel to permanently annex territories it currently controls in Gaza and Lebanon, and to facilitate the voluntary emigration of Gazans to other Arab and Muslim countries. Smotrich presented his vision for ending the war and controlling captured territories during a speech at the National Conservatism Conference (NATCON) in Jerusalem.

He advocated for a new-old military-political paradigm where a defeated aggressor loses territory to the victor, stating that Israel should "permanently apply its sovereignty over the territories it currently holds in Gaza and Lebanon." Smotrich argued this would "burn the price of defeat into our enemies" and deter future attacks. He also described Palestinian nationalism as a "fiction" invented to counter Jewish nationalism and the Zionist movement.

Regarding Gaza, Smotrich proposed that the war's conclusion should include the option for residents who wish to leave to emigrate to Arab and Muslim nations, emphasizing this is not racism but a national concept based on building lives near compatible cultures. He stressed this would be a voluntary option, not forced, and involve shared responsibility from regional countries.

Smotrich also addressed the suffering of civilians during wartime, stating that individual suffering does not determine the morality of a war, though Israel would continue efforts to minimize it when possible. He further called for a shift in Israel-US relations from dependency to a partnership between independent nations, urging Israel to take greater responsibility for its own security and military independence. He also encouraged strengthening ties with the American conservative movement, viewing Israel as a strategic and security asset.