Strengthening Israel's Security for All | Opinion
NewsweekMar 16, 2023
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that Palestinian people are "an invention" of the past century in a speech in Paris on Sunday. He further added that "there is no such thing as the Palestinian people."
He spoke at a lectern decorated with what appeared to be a map of Israel that included the occupied West Bank, Gaza, and Jordan.
Israel faces an average of seven attempted terror attacks a day. That's 2.6K per year. The personal security of Israeli civilians is under constant threat, but the mainstream media likes to ignore important contexts and label the Israeli government as "racist extremists." The history of Israel and Palestine is not clear-cut, but what matters now is peace and security for all — Jews, Bedouins, Circassians, Druze, Arabs, and others. That is what the current Israeli government, and its ministers, are striving for.
The Israeli government is becoming increasingly vocal in its persecution of Palestinians, as threats and attempts to wipe out Palestinian identity aren't even veiled anymore. Smotrich is at the forefront of this deadly rhetoric and should not be allowed to get away with the comments he's making. The international community, especially the United States, should take a stance and bar him from entering.