Smotrich demands revote on Gaza reconstruction plan that he backed

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Missions Minister Orit Strock are calling for a revote on a Gaza reconstruction plan, asserting that the government approved it based on insufficient and misleading information. Despite Smotrich having voted in favor of the resolution, and Strock having initially opposed it, they now jointly argue that key consequences were omitted from the summary presented to ministers.

The plan, which received cabinet approval last week, includes launching the pilot phase of the Board of Peace's (BoP) recommendations and deploying an International Stabilization Force (ISF) into Gaza. Smotrich and Strock contend that the presented summary failed to adequately detail the proposal's potential impact on Israel's national security and financial enforcement capabilities.

In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers, the two ministers highlighted several specific provisions they claim were not fully disclosed. These include proposed changes to financial institutions' authority to restrict banking services, new requirements for imposing financial sanctions, limitations on the Israel Security Agency's role in financial enforcement, revisions to Israel's sanctions policy, and the establishment of a new oversight mechanism. They argue these measures would significantly weaken existing tools used to combat financial activities linked to hostile organizations.

Smotrich and Strock believe that if the full legal and operational implications had been presented, the cabinet would not have approved the proposal. They are urging ministers to rescind the previous approval and reconsider the plan only after a comprehensive review of its ramifications.

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The cabinet's decision was based on a misleading presentation.