WEST BANK (Dispatches) – Far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich called on prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to push for imposing Israel’s “sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank during his visit to Washington.
“A great deal is at stake – the complete victory in Gaza, the destruction of Hamas and the return of all our captives, strengthening our security … This danger must be removed,” Smotrich, the leader of the Religious Zionism Party, said on his X account.
“We must strengthen our grip and sovereignty over the homeland in Judea and Samaria (West Bank),” he said.
Smotrich claimed that the Zionist regime is “making peace, forging alliances and strengthening its position.”
Opposition leader Benny Gantz said Netanyahu’s visit to the U.S. an opportunity to expand “the circle of normalization” in the Middle East region.
“The meeting with President Trump is of paramount importance for advancing the return of all our captives, coordinating the response to the Iranian challenge, expanding the circle of normalization, and removing Hamas rule,” he said in a statement.
Netanyahu departed for Washington early Sunday to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.
In pre-departure statements at Ben Gurion Airport, Netanyahu called his meeting with Trump “a testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance.”
Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that the premier will begin talks on a second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which took effect on Jan. 19, on Monday.
The three-phase ceasefire agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Zionist troops from Gaza.
According to Israeli media, the military escalation in the West Bank is partly aimed at pacifying Smotrich, who opposed the ceasefire in Gaza and demanded harsher measures against Palestinians.