Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for expanded Israeli territorial control in Gaza and southern Lebanon while urging a new military campaign in the occupied West Bank.
Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionism party, said Israel should annex areas of Gaza currently under its military control and extend its control in southern Lebanon to the Litani River.
He also called for Israeli forces to launch a war in the West Bank and dismantle the Palestinian Authority, using the biblical terms 'Judea' and 'Samaria' for the territory.
The comments came amid renewed tensions in the West Bank, where Israeli authorities have imposed tighter movement restrictions and violence has increased since the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the proposal, saying it amounted to a call for escalation, annexation and displacement and threatened efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state.
Smotrich has previously advocated the annexation of the West Bank. More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements in the territory alongside about three million Palestinians. The settlements are regarded as illegal under international law.
The remarks come ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking another term.
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