Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich on Wednesday revealed how the arms embargo imposed by the Biden administration on Israel harmed Israel’s war efforts and also spoke at length about the hostage release deal.
Speaking at an economic conference in Eilat, Smotrich said: “Despite our immense joy and excitement about the return of every hostage, this deal is appalling—the release of hundreds of murderous terrorists who, according to all statistics, are likely to return to kill Jews, the rehabilitation of Hamas leadership both in the country and abroad, and the IDF’s exit from the Netzarim Corridor.”
He added: “It has to be said that due to the US embargo that did not allow us to receive bomb kits, we had to use mechanical kits from the Yom Kippur War, some of which did not explode – and now Hamas is using them. But the dangerous thing about the deal is the message that anyone who wants to defeat the State of Israel and bring it to its knees only needs to abduct Jews.”
“There have already been many reckless deals in which we released terrorists and afterward paid for it in a river of blood. But in phase two, there is a red line that has not yet been crossed and must not be crossed – political arrangements shaped against the backdrop of a gun to the heads of the hostages.”
“If we, chalilah, do this, the next phase will be a Palestinian state and the expulsion of Jews from Yehudah and Shomron because otherwise, we won’t get the hostages back. There will be a massive, emotional, very painful, and very real campaign – and everything will be true, but the State of Israel cannot agree to this. The only way to correct the dangerous message of the deal – is to ensure that we return to fight and Hamas is completely destroyed.”
“This way the message will be that whoever abducts Jews – is destroyed, even if along the way he had tactical successes because our Jewish hearts could not stand by. This is why we remain in the government,” Smotrich emphasized.
“Trump will never sign a surrender to Hamas; he sees it as a humiliation for himself. It may be that if we surrender, he will say ‘You are fools,’ but he himself will not sign and certainly will not provide guarantees for it. If the U.S. gives guarantees to Qatar and Egypt, the U.S. will not be able to violate them because there is a clear principle of credibility between states. The U.S. knows how to support us in actions we want under the current administration, and there are things it will not do.”
Smotrich explained how he plans to bring the hostages home: “On the day we return to fight, and I say responsibly that we will return to fight – much more quickly, strongly, lethally, and completely differently than in the past – we need to apply sovereignty over 10% of the northern perimeter and establish some settlement blocs there. Then we need to tell Hamas every 48 hours that if the hostages don’t return, we will apply sovereignty over another 5% of Gazan land. I have discussed this with Netanyahu more than once or twice, and he mentioned it on one occasion himself.”
It should be noted that the Biden administration also placed IDF soldiers at risk by freezing a large shipment of 134 D9 bulldozers which Israel ordered and paid for.
The bulldozers are mainly used for flattening buildings in the Gaza Strip, the majority of which were booby-trapped by Hamas terrorists. Sadly, many IDF soldiers lost their lives in explosions in the Gaza Strip.
