The left-wing Standing Together movement, whose activists barricaded themselves at the entrance to the Religious Zionism party headquarters on Wednesday, accused Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of transferring millions of shekels to support what it termed 'settler terrorism' in Judea and Samaria. The movement said it would continue to fight until an Israeli-Palestinian peace is achieved. The accusation comes after the Religious Zionism party earlier claimed that left-wing activists attempted to storm its headquarters.
The left-wing Standing Together movement, whose activists barricaded themselves at the entrance to the Religious Zionism party headquarters in Shoham on Wednesday, issued a statement accusing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of transferring millions of shekels to support what it termed 'settler terrorism' in Judea and Samaria. The movement accused Smotrich of funding 'terrorist farms' and vowed to continue its struggle until an Israeli-Palestinian peace is achieved.
This latest development emerges from a rapidly evolving sequence of events earlier today. At 10:00 Jerusalem, the Religious Zionism party reported that left-wing activists were attempting to breach its headquarters, with employees trapped inside. Police arrived at the scene, and by 10:00, police sources told Channel 14 that the incident was a 'legitimate protest' and denied any break-in occurred. The activists, who had barricaded themselves at the entrance, were later escorted out by Or Reichert and left the premises after police arrived, according to the party. The party's initial claim of a violent break-in attempt was contradicted by police accounts, which described the action as a protest.
As The Zioneer has reported, Finance Minister Smotrich, who leads the Religious Zionism party, holds significant authority over civilian affairs in Judea and Samaria and has been a central figure in the governing coalition. The party has frequently been a focus of domestic protests over its security and settlement policies. The Standing Together movement's accusations are part of a broader political friction that has seen the party targeted by left-wing activists.
At this stage, the movement's allegations of funding 'settler terrorism' are unverified and rely solely on the group's own statement. The Finance Ministry has not yet responded to the accusations. Police have not reported any arrests or charges related to the protest.
15 developments
Source and signal
- Open-source intake