Minister Smotrich told the Arab MKs that in the six months he has been Transportation Minister, he has done more for their constituents than they have done in all their years playing politics.
Minister Bezalel Smotrich challenged Blue&White leader Benny Gantz, on Monday, to step up to the Knesset podium and clearly declare that he won’t rely on the “terror supporting” Arab MKs to form a government.
Turning to the Arab MKs, Smotrich said he has no questions against them as “they have been hypocritical and ungrateful for years to the State of Israel and all the good is has brought for them.” He said they declare they want a “Palestinian State” but aren’t willing to give up their Israeli IDs to join one. And for good measure added that there is no such thing as a “Palestinian People” and there won’t be a Palestinian state.
Smotrich pointed out the hysteria of MK Ahmad Tibi and his cohorts after years of demanding an “end to the occupation” and for a “Palestinian state”, when they got scared that the Trump peace plan might actually force them to become citizens of “Palestine.”
Needless to say, each and every one of those points angered them. There hasn’t been such an exciting speech in the Knesset in a while.
Smotrich reminded Gantz that the last time an Israeli government relied on the Arab MKs, it left thousands dead and injured after the Oslo Accords passed.
Gantz did not step up to the podium after the challenge.
But Joint Arab List MK Ahmad Tibi did, and said he will make sure that Smotrich is not a minister in the next government.