Smotrich reveals secret motive for staying in government: Iran war

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich revealed he remained in his government position against the wishes of his supporters, driven by a conviction that a campaign against Iran was necessary. He kept this motive secret, even from his wife, to avoid triggering elections that would have prevented the operation.

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I knew that we were going to a campaign to remove an existential threat, a nuclear Iran, an Iran that was tripling the pace of its ballistic missile production.

"I knew that we were going to a campaign to remove an existential threat, a nuclear Iran, an Iran that was tripling the pace of its ballistic missile production," Smotrich told The Jerusalem Post. He believed that bringing down the government would lead to elections, thus derailing the planned campaign against Iran.

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I could not tell anyone about it. Not even my wife. Because it was a secret.

Smotrich asserts that his continued role in the government allowed him to influence key decisions, citing the recent rejection of the Board of Peace's 15-point roadmap for Gaza. He claims to have significantly influenced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to reject the plan, which he feared could lead to a "Lebanonization of Gaza."

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He thought he could keep juggling it. And I think I managed to put a very serious brake on him.

With elections approaching, Smotrich is campaigning on his strategy of wielding influence from within the government rather than resigning. His party, Religious Zionism, is currently polling at or just above the electoral threshold, making his argument for the value of his continued public service a critical element of his campaign.

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The great fear is that there will be a kind of Lebanonization of Gaza