Smotrich Urges Permanent Sovereignty in Gaza and Lebanon at Conservatism Forum
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for permanent sovereignty over captured territories in Gaza and Lebanon, voluntary emigration for Gazans, and renewed independence from the US.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich presented a sweeping nationalist-security doctrine at the National Conservatism Conference in Jerusalem, jointly launched by the Herzl Institute and the Edmund Burke Foundation. His address featured prominent calls for permanent sovereignty over captured territories in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, establishing a framework for voluntary emigration of Gazan residents to Arab nations, dismissing Palestinian nationalism, and strengthening Israel's historical independence vis-a-vis the United States.
Territorial Doctrine and Military Strategy
Addressing the ongoing military campaigns, Smotrich advocated a departure from modern international-liberal norms, demanding a return to the historical paradigm where "a side that initiates a war and loses must forfeit territory to the victor." According to the minister, Israel must permanently apply its sovereignty over areas currently held under its military control in both Gaza and Lebanon.
A side that initiates a war and loses must forfeit territory to the victor, establishing long-term deterrence that serves our allies as well.
Smotrich argued that this territorial shift is necessary to "burn the price of defeat into the consciousness of our enemies" and secure long-term deterrence.
The Future of Gaza and Emigration
Turning to the future of the Gaza Strip, Smotrich labeled the territory an "unsustainable political mutation," noting that a vast majority of its population descends from 1948 refugees held as hostages to advance the destruction of Israel. He asserted that concluding the war must involve a humanitarian-political solution focused on refugee rehabilitation in Muslim Arab countries that share language, religion, and culture with the local population.
Ideological Independence and US Relations
In the ideological segment of his address, Smotrich dismissed the Palestinian national movement as a fiction created as a counterweight to Jewish nationalism. He further called for a structural transformation in relations with the United States, advocating a shift from dependency to an equal partnership between sovereign nations where Israel bears full responsibility for its security.
