Consider This from NPR
Why did Israel restart the war? One answer: Bezalel Smotrich.
Fri, 28 Mar 2025
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.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Why did Israel resume its war against Hamas?
In Israel, the voices opposing the resumption of the war against Hamas are loud, and they are many. Last weekend, more than 100,000 took to the streets in cities across the country, according to protest organizers. In Tel Aviv, protesters chanted, if an agreement isn't reached, it is murder for the hostages.
Israel believes there are still 24 hostages alive in Gaza, along with the bodies of many more. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he resumed the war and ended an earlier ceasefire in an effort to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages. Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin says this is risking the hostages' lives.
Back in 2011, he negotiated with Hamas to win the release of the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
With the lack of political leadership of Hamas in Gaza, only military leaders of Hamas are left in Gaza today. And they are not necessarily taking orders from the Hamas leadership outside. We're putting the hostages in direct danger. They have threatened to execute them. They could be killed by Israeli bombing.
Polls show Israeli public opinion is not on Netanyahu's side. But in this moment, Netanyahu's fate does not depend on public opinion. depends on holding together his coalition.
He's worried about political survival.
Alan Pincus is a former Israeli diplomat who served under Netanyahu's predecessors. He has no political life expectancy outside the prime minister's office. Netanyahu is also still on trial for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. And if convicted, he could face prison. And he's also trying to fire the head of Israel's internal security service.
which was conducting a separate investigation into his administration. And he's also trying to push through an overhaul of the judicial system that would give him more power. That effort has prompted mass protests. Netanyahu needs the far-right parties in his coalition to keep his government afloat. In particular, he needs his ultra-nationalist finance minister, Batsalal Smoltrich.
First of all, we stayed in the government to make sure we fight back.
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