Finance Minister Smotrich Warns of Arab Land Takeover in Galilee Due to Planning Failures

Israeli Finance Minister and Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized the state's planning policies in the Galilee region, accusing them of enabling extensive Arab land takeovers over the years. Speaking after an investigative report by The Jewish Voice, Smotrich described the situation as a "primary strategic and security threat to the future of the Galilee." He argued that decades of strategic blindness and flawed planning allowed the creation of dangerous territorial contiguities and the choking of Jewish communities in the north.

Smotrich praised Settlement Minister Ayelet Shaked for being the first to act decisively by amending a government decision to apply planning and construction regulations to the Arab sector, effectively halting the unchecked expansion. He highlighted this as evidence of the Religious Zionism party's achievements during the current right-wing government term, emphasizing action over rhetoric.

He further warned that any government reliant on Arab parties would be incapable of enforcing a Zionist policy in the Galilee, citing past examples of political dependence that paralyzed enforcement, diverted large budgets without oversight, and allowed facts on the ground to be established at the expense of Zionist objectives. Smotrich pledged that under a nationalist right-wing government, restoring sovereignty and governance in the Galilee and Negev would remain a top national priority, aiming for strategic change in these regions.