Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich resigned on Monday, further straining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition.
Smotrich will return to his seat in the Knesset as a lawmaker for the far-right Religious Zionism party, which he leads.
The resignation comes amid a dispute with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over the reinstatement of Knesset member Zvi Sukkot. In a statement, the Religious Zionism party accused Ben-Gvir, head of the Otzma Yehudit party, of breaching political agreements made between him, Smotrich, and Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party.
The resignation is not likely to collapse Netanyahu’s coalition. The government passed its 2025 budget in Israel’s parliament last week.
The move highlights growing fractures within Israel’s far-right coalition, which has faced internal divisions on key appointments and policies in recent months. Recent actions, such as the dismissal of key security and legal officials, along with new military appointments, have cast uncertainty over Israel’s security policies both domestically and in the occupied territories.
The dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar by Netanyahu has also sparked widespread unrest and massive protests.
Netanyahu wanted Bar removed over his insistence on investigating a case directly involving the Prime Minister’s office, Bregman explained. “That’s Netanyahu style of dealing with those who attempt to investigate any wrongdoing of him and those around him.”
Krieg echoed these sentiments, expressing concerns that such moves are eroding meritocracy within Israel’s security apparatus.
This comes as Israel under Netanyahu is becoming more autocratic, he noted, adding that the premier “wants to create a far-right fundamentalist, want to create a military or security sector that is that is built in their own image and follows blindly their strategic goals.”
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