Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited the Gaza border communities (Otef Aza) on Monday afternoon and addressed residents directly, acknowledging their justified anger. 'I came to say thank you to people who are rightly angry at me — people who went through the most terrible things on my watch, under my responsibility,' he said, according to Israel Hayom. He added that he is there to ensure the State of Israel wins.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited Gaza border communities (Otef Aza) on Monday afternoon and directly acknowledged the residents' justified anger, telling them: 'I came to say thank you to people who are rightly angry at me — people who went through the most terrible things on my watch, under my responsibility. I understand the anger — and I am here to make sure the State of Israel wins,' as reported by Israel Hayom. The visit, which began around 14:45 Jerusalem, came after earlier reports that day of a planned protest, and as the minister faced mounting criticism over his recent statements.
The day's events unfolded in rapid succession: at 14:45 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that dozens of protesters had gathered outside Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha ahead of the visit. Within the same hour, two additional thread items detailed a broader protest effort — first local activists organized a demonstration, and then the protest groups 'Negev Front' and 'In the Name of the Envelope' joined, accusing Smotrich of using the tour for 'public relations at the expense of local reconstruction.' By 16:41 Jerusalem, The Zioneer had published a fuller account of those groups' statements, which called on the minister not to 'use taxpayer money to buy forgiveness.' Smotrich's own remarks, reported Monday afternoon, represent his first direct on-record response to the criticism during the visit.
As The Zioneer reported over the weekend, Smotrich had previously published a detailed written justification for taking personal credit for hostage returns (Sun 20:27 Jerusalem), and on Saturday night he hailed IDF control of 70% of Gaza and a buffer zone in Lebanon, claiming the government had transformed Israel's security doctrine. The current controversy has thus unfolded against a backdrop of sustained public debate over his handling of both security policy and community relations in the south.
It remains unclear whether Smotrich met with specific community leaders during the visit, and no information has emerged about whether he addressed the protesters directly. The duration of his tour and any concrete follow-up measures he may have offered to residents have not been reported.
4 developments
- StrongFinance Minister Smotrich visits Kibbutz Nir Oz amid local protests over his arrival
- StrongSmotrich says Gaza deal bad for Israel, vows to continue campaign in 'creative ways'
- DevelopingSmotrich defends Judea and Samaria tax benefits as recognition of heroism
- StrongSmotrich publishes detailed rationale for claiming hostage return credit
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