Forming a government with Arab Israeli lawmaker Mansour Abbas is worse than the October 7 massacre, according to Finance Minister and Religious Zionism party chairman Bezalel Smotrich.
“What is more serious? The government with Mansour Abbas, or the October 7 massacre and 2,100 dead in total? Certainly the formation of the government with Abbas. The massacre was a terrible and horrific failure, it must be investigated — but it was a tactical failure,” Smotrich said Tuesday morning.
Smotrich explained his reasoning in an interview with 103FM: “Deliberate wrongdoing is far worse than an unintentional mistake. Someone who knowingly sold the State of Israel to its enemies is far worse than someone who erred, stumbled or failed.”
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Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich claims the media took his words out of context
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
Smotrich condemned former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who included Abbas in his government. “There was a conception, and I was not part of it. I am not referring to the man [Bennett] whom not a single word from his mouth can be believed. There is a difference between making a promise and turning your back on voters and values. You want to hold a contest of disasters? A politician who sold the country to terror supporters is a thousand times worse than any failure.”
Smotrich later tried to clarify his remarks, claiming he had been asked “what was the more serious political act,” although the transcript shows he was asked, “What is worse? The formation of the government with Mansour Abbas, or the October 7 massacre and 2,100 dead in total?”
Smotrich claimed his remarks had been distorted. “The massacre carried out by Hamas is one of the worst we have known since the Holocaust, and nothing compares to it. To you in the media — if you are trying to take my words out of context and belittle the massacre, you are wicked and liars," he added.
Democrats party chairman Yair Golan responded: “This is the same Smotrich who declared that Hamas is an asset. Palestinian terror is his ally. In his view, it is preferable for the people of Israel to be slaughtered than to have a government without him, and that is the whole story: The life of the government is more important to him than the lives of citizens. Soon we will replace them, and they will be held accountable for October 7.”
Knesset lawmaker Merav Ben Ari of Yesh Atid attacked Smotrich. “A small, smug, racist man who, without Ben-Gvir, will see the next Knesset only through the Knesset Channel,” she said of Smotrich. Ben Ari said Smotrich was “trying to normalize the October 7 massacre, which happened on his watch, when he was a minister in the Defense Ministry,” noting that the minister “himself said Hamas is an asset. Instead of resigning and going home, he still dares to talk about ‘unintentional mistakes,’ as if everyone is stupid and doesn’t know that for years millions were funneled to Hamas.”
Wanted to resign because of the massacre
Smotrich, who was a Cabinet member on October 7, sounded different moments after the massacre, according to previous reports. Among other things, he was reported to have said during the first consultation held by Netanyahu on the morning of the massacre: “Within 48 hours they will demand that we resign,” or “Soon they will ask to take our heads off.”
The finance minister has also said in the past that he wanted to resign because of the massacre, then spoke with his father — and from that conversation, he said, it emerged that he did not understand what he had done wrong.
Throughout the war, Smotrich made a series of predictions that did not materialize. After a year and a half of war, he said that “in six months there will be no more Hamas in Gaza,” and promised a “victory image”: “Gaza is completely destroyed, its civilians are concentrated south of the Morag corridor and are beginning to leave in large numbers for third countries.” Three months later, he said he had lost confidence that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could and wanted to lead the IDF to victory and decision, but did not announce or hint at an intention to resign.
In Tuesday’s interview, he praised Netanyahu and said: “Netanyahu stood firm on October 8 and, thank God, chose to go the right way. People running today led a reckless and irresponsible campaign to fold and surrender. I do not run the country alone. If the alternative is either Netanyahu or someone who led a reckless campaign of concession and surrender — the choice is clear.”
During the 2020-2021 election rounds, Smotrich refused to form a government with the support of Ra’am, the party that represents Arab interests in Israel. He confirmed several times that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had planned to do so, and boasted that he had prevented the move. Ultimately, Naftali Bennett chose to form a rotation government with Yair Lapid, that included Ra’am. The government collapsed about a year later.
First published: 09:41, 05.05.26