Bezalel Smotrich
Bezalel Yoel Smotrich is an Israeli politician and lawyer who has served as the Minister of Finance since 2022. The leader of the Religious Zionist Party, he previously served as a Knesset member for the Jewish Home and Yamina, leaving in 2023 after resigning under the Norwegian Law, allowing him to remain a minister in the government while his seat in the Knesset could be taken by another candidate from his party.
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Stories...
Aug 31, 2026
Center
Columnist argues no current minister matches his agenda-setting influence, yet no party will give him shelter because he repels voters, while security forces move to block settler violence in the West Bank.
Yesh Atid sees Smotrich as a dangerous driver of nationalist extremism that undermines Israel's security and international standing, making him a prime target for political opposition.
Aug 31, 2026
Lean Left
Smotrich is using his Finance Ministry role to redirect funds to settlements and annexation moves, while cutting social services.
He embodies the capitalist and nationalist agenda that Labor/Meretz oppose, and his budget priorities are seen as a direct attack on the welfare state.
Aug 31, 2026
Far Left
As Finance Minister, he has advanced settlement budgets and encouraged outpost legalization, while also overseeing tensions with the US over settler violence.
Hadash condemns Smotrich's annexationist policies and his use of state funds to deepen occupation, directly harming Palestinian livelihoods and any chance of peace.
Aug 30, 2026
Far Right
Smotrich is implicitly referenced in the Likud attack on Ben Gvir, urging unification to prevent a left-wing government.
For Religious Zionism, Smotrich is the standard-bearer of the national camp, and his unity with Ben Gvir is essential to secure right-wing dominance.
Aug 30, 2026
Lean Left
Finance minister and Religious Zionism leader is pushing a controversial budget that funnels billions to settlements and ultra-Orthodox institutions.
For Labor/Meretz, Smotrich symbolizes the merging of fiscal policy with annexation and religious coercion, which they see as a direct threat to democracy and peace.
Aug 30, 2026
Far Left
Smotrich, as Finance Minister and now overseer of West Bank civil administration, pushes for settlement expansion and discriminates against Palestinian construction.
Hadash condemns his overtly racist policies that entrench apartheid and erode any chance for a two-state solution.
Aug 29, 2026
Center
Smotrich is the target of Ben Gvir's refusal to merge, and he remains a polarizing figure in the effort to unite the far-right.
Yesh Atid sees Smotrich as an extremist who pushes settlement policies that undermine Israel's security and international standing, and his ongoing rivalry with Ben Gvir is destabilizing the coalition.
Aug 29, 2026
Lean Left
Finance Minister and Religious Zionism leader who is using his authority to push settlement annexation and restrict Palestinian rights, and is now in charge of aspects of West Bank civil administration.
Labor/Meretz sees him as the embodiment of apartheid policies, and his role in escalating settler violence is a direct threat to the two-state solution and to any prospect of peace.
Aug 29, 2026
Far Left
Smotrich is pushing annexation moves and settlement expansion in the West Bank, challenging international law and ceasefire efforts.
Hadash condemns Smotrich's fascist agenda that undermines any chance for a two-state solution and fuels violence.
Aug 28, 2026
Lean Left
The finance minister is advancing settlement budgets and annexationist policies, while also overseeing judicial overhaul legislation.
Labor/Meretz see Smotrich's actions as a direct assault on the two-state solution and a misallocation of public funds toward ideological settlements.