Smotrich: Palestinians are part of the 'Axis of Evil' and we need to expand Israel's borders

SadaNews - Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that Israel needs "broader and defensible borders" both in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Syria, considering that the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are part of what he termed the "Iranian Axis of Evil."

Smotrich explained to the Jerusalem Post that the 1967 lines are "indefensible borders," as they do not take into account geographical considerations and security topography, according to his statement.

Smotrich claimed that the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank are "part of the Iranian Axis of Evil," considering that criticisms related to settler violence are merely "misleading campaigns."

He added that "settlers are among the least violent peoples," stating that all measures taken in the West Bank have been coordinated with the American side.

The Israeli Finance Minister pointed out that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, confirming that Israel continues its settlement activities "with full support and coordination" with the U.S. administration.

He clarified that although President Donald Trump has not yet endorsed the application of Israeli sovereignty over all West Bank territories, the Israeli government hopes to achieve this in the future, according to his statement.

Last Sunday, Smotrich renewed his call for the complete occupation of the Gaza Strip and the establishment of settlements there, during his participation - along with ministers and officials including Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz - in the reopening of a settlement in northern the West Bank that had been evacuated in 2005.

These statements come amid the escalation of settlement policies led by the Netanyahu government since assuming office in December 2022, as it has intensified its activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which the United Nations classifies as occupied territories.

According to official data, about 750,000 settlers live in hundreds of settlements established in the West Bank, including about 250,000 in East Jerusalem.

Human rights reports indicate daily recorded systematic attacks by settlers, aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians and changing the demographic and geographical reality of the area.

Since the outbreak of the genocide war on Gaza in October 2023, the West Bank has witnessed an escalation in the operations of the occupation army and settlers, resulting in the martyrdom of no less than 1,150 Palestinians, injuring about 11,750 others, and the arrest of nearly 22,000 Palestinians.