Against the backdrop of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's vehement opposition to transferring money to the Palestinian Authority, the defense establishment warns that Minister Smotrich is "sabotaging" Israel's war efforts for political reasons, since failure to transfer the money to the Palestinian Authority is liable to cause a violent outbreak in the territories to the point of an intifada, a fact that will require the diversion of forces and attention from the south and north to the Central Command.
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The remarks were made in part against the backdrop of a statement issued on Tuesday by Finance Minister and Cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich, according to which he "appreciates the defense minister and strengthens him for his work night and day for Israel's security," but that "his position in favor of transferring the funds to the Palestinian Authority is a serious mistake."
Will not fund terrorist supporters
Smotrich added: "I do not intend to allow the State of Israel to fund our enemies in Judea and Samaria who support Hamas terrorism and finance the October 7 terrorists who murdered and massacred us." He continued: "The Palestinian Authority is not the solution – it is part of the problem. We don't repeat mistakes and concepts that exploded in our faces."
The anger in the defense establishment against Minister Smotrich stems from the fact that the IDF wants to focus on the southern arena, and to contain as much as possible other arenas, even the northern arena where Hezbollah challenges Israel every day. According to all senior defense officials, any action that might ignite Judea and Samaria is contrary to Israeli interests, and therefore Minister Smotrich's opposition to transferring money to the Palestinian Authority is dangerous and harms Israel's war effort.
Yesterday, Defense Minister Yoav Galant said at a press conference that "it is appropriate to transfer and transfer these funds immediately," noting that "the PA also prevents terrorism." His remarks come in response to Finance Minister Smotrich's claim to freeze the transfer of PA tax revenues, claiming that they may reach Hamas in Gaza.
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