Smotrich: Governing with Arab Party Was Worse Than October 7

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sparked controversy by claiming that Naftali Bennett’s 2021 decision to form a coalition with the Arab Ra’am party was a greater catastrophe for Israel than the October 7 massacre, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

When asked directly which was the greater disaster, Smotrich was unequivocal: “Of course, the formation of the government with Mansour Abbas.” He drew a moral distinction between intentional betrayal and unintentional failure, calling a politician who “sold the country to terror supporters” a thousand times worse than any tactical blunder.

Notably, the interview made no mention that Netanyahu himself had earlier attempted to form a coalition with Ra’am — an effort blocked largely by Smotrich’s own objections.

Smotrich called for a full probe of October 7 but said the attack reflected decades of mistaken security policy he had long criticized. He praised Netanyahu for reversing course after the Hamas attack, while acknowledging ongoing disagreements — particularly over whether the war should result in Israeli territorial expansion in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank.