Smotrich Demands New Settlement Near Site of Fatal West Bank Terror Attack

Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced plans to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to approve the establishment of a new settlement at the Sela outpost, near the site of a deadly terror attack in the West Bank. Smotrich called for reclassifying the area from Area B to Area C to facilitate Israeli control and settlement construction. Speaking before a security cabinet meeting on Friday, Smotrich condemned recent escalations in Judea and Samaria, emphasizing the need for decisive military action against terror threats emanating from nearby Palestinian villages such as Tal, Iraq Burin, and Beit Furik. These villages, he said, repeatedly produce terrorists responsible for attacks including the killing of Benyahu Malt earlier that day and the stabbing of Itamar Cohen the previous day. Smotrich called for evacuating civilians from these villages for their protection and for dismantling terror infrastructure to restore deterrence and security. He also urged the Israel Defense Forces to establish defensive zones around Israeli communities, roads, and farms to improve local security. Smotrich framed the new settlement as a "Zionist response" to terrorism and an assertion of Israeli sovereignty over the land.