Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has drawn widespread criticism after saying that forming a government with support from Arab lawmakers would be “worse” than the Oct. 7, 2023 events.
His remarks came as recent opinion polls suggested that Israel’s main opposition bloc may be unable to form a government without backing from Arab parties.
Unless early polls are called, Israel’s next general elections are scheduled for October.
Polls indicate that if elections were held now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc would win around 50 seats, the opposition about 60, and Arab parties about 10 seats. Forming a government requires the support of at least 61 members in the 120-seat Knesset.
In an interview with the local 103 FM radio, Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party, said, "A government with Mansour Abbas is worse than Oct. 7,” referring to the role Arab parties can play in determining coalition outcomes.
Abbas heads the United Arab List and previously supported a coalition led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid in 2021, which prevented Netanyahu from forming a new government coalition.
In response, Abbas said, "Even on its worst day, the Change Government (a coalition government in 2021, in which Abbas participated before it collapsed a year later) was a thousand times better than the disaster government Smotrich is part of.”
“Soon we will change this extremist government that does not respect people's lives, just like all extremists in the world,” he added.
Political backlash
Smotrich’s comments triggered sharp reactions across Israel’s political and media landscape.
Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief and head of the opposition Yashar Party, rebuked Smotrich, saying: “You are a disgrace to the people you were elected to represent.”
Criticizing the government’s performance, he said on the US social media company X that “if you had listened to the warnings of specialists and experts, even a failed government like yours would have been able to prevent the disaster.”
“The utter failure and shirking of responsibility are a stain that will never be erased from the top leadership of the State of Israel, the October 7th government, forever,” he added.
Yair Golan, leader of the Democratic Party, said Smotrich’s remarks show he prioritizes political survival over citizens’ lives.
“From his perspective, he (Smotrich) would rather see the annihilation of the Israeli people than a government without him. And that's the truth: the survival of the government is more important to him than the lives of the citizens.”
“We will replace them soon, and we will achieve justice for the victims of October 7th,” he said.
Media criticism
Columnist Ben Caspit of the Maariv daily said Smotrich’s statements reflected “a genuine position rather than an editorial mistake,” arguing on X that the image that Smotrich projects as a “normal and rational politician is nothing but a mask.”
“The real Smotrich believes that the formation of a change government is worse than the events of October 7,” he added.
Facing mounting criticism, Smotrich defended his remarks, accusing critics of distorting his words for political gains.
“You are not my concern, and what really pains me is the suffering of many from your distortion of my words,” he wrote on X.
Attacking the media, Smotrich wrote that attempts to “distort my words and downplay the attack” were “unacceptable.”
Last month, Bennett and Lapid, the leaders of the Together Party, echoed a similar opposition to forming a coalition with Arab members of parliament, a position that drew fire from more than 80 Arab and Jewish peace organizations.
In a joint statement, the organizations stressed that this approach “is not only a moral problem but a strategic mistake,” emphasizing that “Arabs are an integral part of any future solution.”
They also affirmed that a political settlement with the Palestinians cannot be achieved while simultaneously excluding the Arab community within Israel.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul
