Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich ignited a political firestorm Tuesday when he declared during a 103FM radio interview that creating a coalition government with United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas would be more damaging than the October 7 terrorist attack.
During the broadcast, Smotrich characterized the October 7 assault as a catastrophic security breakdown while describing potential political cooperation with Abbas as a deliberate betrayal. “The October 7 massacre is a horrific and terrible failure, but it is a tactical failure,” Smotrich stated. He went on to claim that bringing Abbas into government would be “a thousand times worse than the most terrible failure,” calling such a move an intentional choice.
When pressed by the interviewer about his controversial comparison—referencing the attack that claimed 1,200 lives and resulted in 251 hostages—Smotrich defended his position. “Do you want to make a competition in disasters?” he responded. “You asked me as a politician what is more severe in my view. A politician who lied, betrayed his values, and carried out a targeted strike against democracy–that is far more severe.”
The finance minister also directed criticism toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, maintaining his longstanding opposition to the premier’s leadership. “I have had criticism of Netanyahu for years, and I do not remove responsibility from him,” Smotrich declared.
Regarding the current conflict, Smotrich outlined his vision for ending the war with Hamas completely eliminated from Gaza. He also voiced backing for territorial expansion into Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Judea and Samaria.
Political opponents quickly condemned Smotrich’s statements. Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot accused the finance minister of exploiting the October 7 tragedy as a “tool in the shameless campaign” to minimize accountability for security failures. “The biggest failure in our history is an indelible stain,” Eisenkot responded.
Yair Golan interpreted Smotrich’s remarks as suggesting that “a massacre of Israelis is better than a government that doesn’t include him.”
Following the backlash, Smotrich issued a clarification claiming his words had been “distorted,” insisting he was merely comparing different political decisions. He acknowledged the October 7 attack as “one of the most terrible we have known since the Holocaust.”
