Smotrich Attributed Remarks on Gaza Ruins and Palestinian Nationhood

Posts on the Telegram channel Clash Report relay remarks attributed to Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich about Gaza, Palestinian identity, religion and the Israeli economy. A post by Middle East Eye relays the Gaza portion in similar terms.

The Gaza passage is the hardest to ignore. According to Clash Report, Smotrich said: "We control almost 70% of the Gaza Strip. Apparently it will be ruins, and I hope it remains that way for many, many years, as a kind of memorial of iniquity to anyone who messes with the Jewish people and does to us what those Nazis did." Middle East Eye summarizes the same line as: "We control almost 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip" and states that he hopes Gaza will remain in ruins as a memorial and a warning to anyone who intends to attack Israel. The wording differs between relays.

Monexus analysis, strictly limited to what the relays attribute: the quoted lines present ruin as memorial, the economy as miracle assisted from above, and Palestinian peoplehood as historically nonexistent. That combination is stated in religious and historical language attributed to a serving finance minister.

The attribution itself requires care. The quoted lines are relayed by Clash Report and Middle East Eye as statements by Smotrich.

The Gaza line

The Gaza attribution has two parts. The first is numerical. Both relays attribute to Smotrich the figure of almost 70 percent control of the Gaza Strip. The second is prescriptive. He is quoted as hoping the territory remains in ruins for many, many years as a memorial tied to what was done to Jews, which Clash Report renders with a reference to "those Nazis."

Middle East Eye renders the warning as addressed to anyone who intends to attack Israel. Clash Report renders the memorial as addressed to anyone who messes with the Jewish people and does to us what those Nazis did.

No people, no language, no culture

According to Clash Report, Smotrich said: "I keep saying: historically, there is no such thing as a Palestinian people. Who was the first Palestinian king? What was the Palestinian currency? Is there a Palestinian language? There is nothing. There is no culture."

The quoted questions concern a king, a currency and a language. The quoted conclusion is: "There is nothing. There is no culture."

God, the economy and the churches

According to Clash Report, Smotrich said: "This is how God created the world: He chose a land, He chose a people, and when they are together, they flourish. And when they flourish, they bring light and goodness to the entire world. Our purpose really is to be a light unto the nations, a beacon of morality, of values, of culture, and of kindness. And this is the reality."

According to Clash Report, Smotrich said: "The Israeli economy, which is holding up through such a long and expensive war, with such fantastic results, I don't think there is anything comparable anywhere in the world. That is a miracle. There is tremendous divine assistance." Clash Report also relays the summary that Israel is receiving "divine abundance" from God.

On religion, according to Clash Report, Smotrich asked: "What, fundamentally, are Christianity and Islam built on? Everyone knows that there was a Jewish people; they don't deny history. But these two religions claim that at some point the Jewish people sinned, and God cast them away and replaced them with themselves. Christianity says that this begins with "that man"; Islam, with Muhammad." According to Clash Report, he also said: "The thesis of Islam, and Christianity as well, worked when we were in exile. So what did Christianity do? Christianity, because it is much more organized and centralized, had the Church convene and change its theology. You know, a religion invented by man can also change its conception. Islam, because it is much more decentralized and does not have a centralized leadership capable of doing this, does not know how to deal with it."

What the relays attribute together

Taken together, the relays attribute to Smotrich a Gaza memorial formulation, a denial formulation about Palestinian peoplehood, an economy as miracle formulation, and theological formulations about Christianity and Islam.

The Gaza formulation and the peoplehood formulation both concern Palestinians. One speaks of territory in ruins as memorial. The other speaks of peoplehood, king, currency, language and culture.

Source records

The sources below were retrieved for this article. Reposts and mirrors may share the same reporting.

• https://t.me/ClashReport/95089
• https://t.me/ClashReport/95090
• https://t.me/ClashReport/95091
• https://t.me/ClashReport/95094
• https://t.me/ClashReport/95095
• https://t.me/ClashReport/95096
• https://t.me/ClashReport/95097
• https://x.com/MiddleEastEye/status/2096089728386797626