Bezalel Smotrich

Several parties declare who they will recommend for PM ahead of presidential consultations

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party on Tuesday confirmed its intention to recommend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the candidate to form the government.

Otzma Yehudit party chairman and Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, alongside members of his party, at the party’s election headquarters in Modiin, on Israel’s general election night, October 28, 2026.
Israeli soldiers deploy in the West Bank city of Hebron as Palestinian residents protest against their forced displacement from their homes amid an ongoing Israeli military operation and restrictions on movement in parts of the city, November 1, 2026.

IDF ends controversial Hebron operation after days of terror probe, forced evacuations

Then-head of the National Union party MK Betzalel Smotrich and attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir attend Otzma Yehudit party's election campaign event in Bat Yam on April 06, 2019.

Israel cannot defeat extremism by embracing it - opinion

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attending the Knesset, February 7, 2024; illustrative.

Netanyahu meets Ben-Gvir, Smotrich as opposition leaders hold coalition talks


Jewish Agency Chief Almog: Israel can absorb one million new immigrants amid rising antisemitism

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called aliyah an economic growth engine as government ministers and Jewish leaders discussed preparations for a potential wave of immigration.

 From right: Netanel Rotenberg, co-CEO of Habayta; Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer; and Yosef Hoter, co-CEO of Habayta.

'War of consciousness': Reservists-Economic's Wilf unveils plan to combat anti-Israel narratives

The Reservists-Economic Party called for a major expansion in the Foreign Ministry's resources to combat anti-Israel narratives abroad.

Einat Wilf seen in the Knesset, in Jerusalem, April 17, 2012

BoP expects Gaza reconstruction after elections as Israelis support Netanyahu-Eisenkot TV debate

The Jerusalem Post's must-listen news roundup with Gadi Zaig - the top stories, clear and concise.

Tents housing displaced Palestinians are seen among homes destroyed during the recent war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza City, central Gaza Strip, September 3, 2026.

High Court seeks timeline for steps toward Palestinians’ return to northern West Bank camps

The state was given until November 23, 2026, to submit its response. The court did not order the immediate return of residents or direct the IDF to withdraw from the refugee camps.

Israel security forces apprehend five terrorists planning an  imminent terror attack in the Barta'a area near Jenin, November 30, 2025.

The settlement revolution: How Bezalel Smotrich changed Israel's map for the better - opinion

Since the current government took office at the end of 2022, it has approved the establishment or retroactive legalization of 104 Jewish communities there.

FINANCE MINISTER Bezalel Smotrich attends a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Karmei Yehuda community in the Hebron Hills, Sept. 27.

Netanyahu, Smotrich hold conference to rally right-wing voters, excluding Ben-Gvir

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was not invited to the conference, named "Saving the Right," which included dozens of Religious Zionist rabbis, along with heads of yeshivas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at the Saving the Right Conferance in Jerusalem, Thursday, October 8, 2026.

Israel is not Netanyahu: The Jewish case against political idolization - opinion

As Israelis head to the polls, October 7 demands accountability from leaders and a rejection of the idea that any politician is bigger than Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a Likud party rally in Tel Aviv, September 17, 2026; illustrative.

‘There will be no Tel Aviv’: Egyptians threaten Israel following Smotrich Sinai comments

“There will be no Tel Aviv, there will be no Ben-Gurion Airport, and there will be no Netanyahu,” said Amr Adib on MBC Egypt.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at the National Conservatism Conference, or NatCon, in Jerusalem on October 6, 2026.

Smotrich: ‘Voluntary migration’ of Gazans to Muslim countries ‘is not racism’

“Encouraging the voluntary migration of Muslims who seek to leave conflict zones specifically to Muslim countries is not racism,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said at NatCon.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at the National Conservatism Conference, or NatCon, in Jerusalem on October 6, 2026.

Multi-million Herod’s Pools renovation project begins amid gov’t push to promote West Bank tourism

Sukkot, echoing Smotrich’s words, calling the neglect of Herod’s Pools “an injustice,” noting that he is pleased with Smotrich’s and the Settlement Administration’s “swift response.”

Israelis hang out at the ancient archaeological site known as Herod's Pool on July 31, 2026.