According to @clashreport, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on the Gaza issue that the people of Gaza are educated to hate Israel, so their hope must be cut off. He argued that Israel should occupy the territory, maintain the status quo in Gaza, and gradually encourage the local population to leave.
On October 20, 2026, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made a tough statement regarding security threats from Egypt in public remarks. He claimed that, to ensure Egypt does not attack Israel, Egypt must be made aware that if it launches an attack, it will lose the Sinai Peninsula. Smotrich also noted that Egyptian President Sisi had previously taken the initiative to declare that Egypt has no territorial ambitions.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said publicly in an interview that Israel should not offer Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) any concessions without receiving substantial benefits from Saudi Arabia in return. He believes that Israel is already providing benefits unilaterally, called this approach a mistake, and demanded that the government reconsider its diplomatic strategy toward Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stressed in a recent statement that Israel cannot ignore the threats posed by neighboring countries such as Turkey. He noted that when building its military strength, Israel should not develop capabilities separately targeting Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Syria and other countries, but should instead strive to develop flexible military capabilities to cope with multiple challenges.
According to a report by clashreport, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich publicly discussed the close relationship between Turkish President Erdoğan and U.S. President-elect Trump, and said that Israel is successfully preventing unfavorable agreements and ensuring that the United States maintains its qualitative military edge over Israel.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, speaking about the situation in Lebanon, said that Israel's northern border is currently at a topographic disadvantage: the Israeli military is in the valley while Hezbollah forces hold the high ground, making the border difficult to defend. He publicly questioned why the necessity of Israel having a defensible border could not be explained to former U.S. President Trump, hinting at seeking American support to change the current border security situation.