Former Labor Leader Praises Smotrich and Religious Zionists for Transforming West Bank Settlement Growth
How 2 Israeli newsrooms covered this story — translated into English and compared side by side.
By נתי מלחי
First reported by Arutz Sheva · Jul 9, 2026
What happened
Nati Malchi, a resident of the West Bank settlement Ofra, praises Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and the Religious Zionist Party for unprecedented settlement growth in Judea and Samaria. Former Labor leader Haim Ramon also commended Smotrich’s policies as the most significant annexation efforts in the region’s history. Malchi describes rapid infrastructure development and new communities emerging after decades of restrictions, attributing the progress to deliberate government action.
- 01Former Labor leader Haim Ramon praises Bezalel Smotrich’s settlement policies as historic.
- 02Smotrich and the Religious Zionist Party drive unprecedented growth in Judea and Samaria.
- 03Nati Malchi witnesses rapid infrastructure and community development in the West Bank.
- 04Decades of restrictions and demolitions have given way to accelerated settlement expansion.
- 05Government decisions, budgets, and legislation underpin the current settlement surge.
- 06Malchi calls for recognition and gratitude toward Religious Zionist leaders’ role in this transformation.
Summary translated & synthesized from the sources below by baba. Read each original for the full report.
Full coverage · 2 outlets
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