‘Do What We Did in Gaza’: Smotrich Calls for War on Occupied West Bank
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a Gaza-style war in the occupied West Bank and the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority.
Key Developments
- Smotrich said Israel “should do” in the occupied West Bank what it had done during its genocidal war on Gaza.
- The far-right minister repeated his demand for the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority.
- His remarks came as Israeli forces tightened restrictions and intensified raids, killings, demolitions and arrests across the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on Sunday for Israel to launch a war in the occupied West Bank modeled on its genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip.
“We should do there what we did in Gaza,” Smotrich told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
The far-right minister also repeated his call for the Palestinian Authority to be dismantled as Israeli forces intensified military restrictions, raids and attacks throughout the occupied territory.
‘What We Did in Gaza’
Smotrich’s remarks explicitly invoked Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which has killed nearly 74,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 175,000 since October 2023.
The Israeli offensive has also damaged or destroyed approximately 90 percent of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, leaving much of the enclave uninhabitable and forcing most of its population into repeated displacement.
Despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, Israeli forces have continued carrying out airstrikes, shootings and other attacks across Gaza.
More than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed and approximately 5,000 wounded in Israeli ceasefire violations, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Smotrich’s call to replicate that campaign in the occupied West Bank came amid a continuing escalation by the Israeli army and illegal settlers against Palestinian communities.
Palestinian Authority Targeted
Smotrich also renewed his demand for the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited administrative and security control over parts of the occupied West Bank.
The PA was established under the Oslo Accords to administer designated Palestinian population centers during what was intended to be an interim period.
Israel, however, maintains overarching military control throughout the occupied West Bank, including over borders, movement, security and large areas of Palestinian land.
Smotrich and other members of Israel’s far-right government have repeatedly attacked the PA while advocating the expansion of illegal settlements and permanent Israeli control over the occupied territory.
West Bank under Siege
The statement came as Israeli forces imposed tighter restrictions on Palestinian movement across the occupied West Bank.
Checkpoint closures, military roadblocks and newly erected barriers have isolated Palestinian towns and villages, preventing residents from reaching workplaces, schools, hospitals and their homes.
Israeli military raids and attacks by illegal settlers have intensified since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.
The campaign has included killings, mass arrests, home demolitions, attacks on mosques, the bulldozing of agricultural land and the displacement of Palestinian communities.
Israeli forces and illegal settlers have also prevented farmers from reaching their land while accelerating the expansion of settlements and outposts built in violation of international law.
More than 1,200 Palestinians Killed
At least 1,206 Palestinians have been killed across the occupied West Bank since October 2023, according to Palestinian official figures.
More than 13,300 others have been wounded, while nearly 26,000 Palestinians have been arrested during Israeli military raids.
The escalation has affected cities, refugee camps, villages and rural communities throughout the occupied territory.
Israeli forces have repeatedly raided Palestinian population centers using armored vehicles, drones and military bulldozers, while illegal settlers have attacked residents and their property under army protection.
The UN has repeatedly affirmed that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law.
(PC, Anadolu, Israeli Media)