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Why did Israel restart the war? One answer: Bezalel Smotrich.
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has threatened to collapse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition if the war doesn't continue in Gaza. Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
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Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has threatened to collapse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition if the war doesn't continue in Gaza.
Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images
Bezalel Smotrich's views were once fringe in Israel. He's an ultranationalist West Bank settler, who has repeatedly called for Israel to resettle the Gaza Strip.
Today, as finance minister, he's a key figure influencing the future of Israel's war against Hamas.
NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi has the story of Smotrich's rise to power in Israel politics.
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This episode was produced by Michael Levitt and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna. It included reporting from Kat Lonsdorf. It was edited by William Troop and James Hider. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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