Released hostage Or Levi directly addressed Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday evening, saying if Smotrich claims his policies are why Levi is free, 'you mean hostages were killed while you torpedoed deals.' The exchange extends Levi's earlier criticism of Smotrich for obstructing a hostage deal.
Released hostage Or Levi escalated his public confrontation with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday evening, posting a pointed rebuttal to Smotrich's past claim that the hostage deal that freed Levi happened 'thanks to' his policies.
Levi wrote: 'If you say 'thanks to you,' you mean that hostages were murdered while you torpedoed deals, then yes.' The remarks follow Levi's earlier accusation — first published by The Zioneer at 18:44 — in which he said 'if it were up to you, we wouldn't be back yet.'
Levi was held captive by Hamas in Gaza and released in the recent ceasefire-hostage agreement that Smotrich opposed. The exchange reflects the deepening political fallout over the deal's terms and the government's handling of the hostage crisis.
2 developments
- StrongSmotrich publishes detailed rationale for claiming hostage return credit
- DevelopingSmotrich backs Lebanon deal, in apparent shift
- DevelopingMinister Smotrich says time to 'speak in fire' and 'open the gates of hell'
- DevelopingFinance Minister Smotrich tells Oded Harosh he considered resigning after October 7
Source and signal
- Internal intake