Israel’s Smotrich calls for ‘war’ in West Bank: Rhetoric or real threat?

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for a full-scale war in the occupied West Bank, urging the military to use the tactics employed in Gaza, which has been devastated by the ongoing genocide.Smotrich, known for his inflammatory, racist and dehumanising language against Palestinians, also called for the annexation of southern Lebanon and Gaza’s territories under Israeli control.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Israel’s Netanyahu criticises opposition uniting against him for electionslist 2 of 4Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich calls for war in occupied West Banklist 3 of 4‘No role for UNRWA in Gaza’: Does the Board of Peace toe Israeli lines?list 4 of 4‘My hands are empty’: Displaced Palestinians struggle to surviveend of listThe minister told Ynet News in an interview published on Sunday that Israel should “go to war” in the occupied territory and repeat what it “did in Gaza”. His comments come about a month ahead of the general election, which has seen a surge in Israeli and settler violence in the occupied territories, as well as the demonisation of Palestinian citizens of Israel.During the Ynet News interview, Smotrich said that Israel sh...