Israel
Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich poses next to ‘death to Arabs’ graffiti during West Bank visit
The image was taken during a tour of settlement Sa-Nur
August 7, 2025 12:06
The image was taken during a tour of settlement Sa-Nur
August 7, 2025 12:06Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was photographed standing next to graffiti that read “Death to Arabs” in red paint during a visit to an Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank on Thursday.
The image was taken during a tour of Sa-Nur, a former settlement dismantled during Israel’s 2005 disengagement, organized by the “Return to Sa-Nur” group.
The initiative is led by Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, and advocates for the re-establishment of Jewish presence in the area.
The Shomron Regional Council itself released the original image of Smotrich beside the graffiti on Thursday morning.
However, it later issued an edited version with the graffiti cropped out, after the image sparked media outrage.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid weighed in on the controversy, writing on his X account: "Alongside the ethical debate, what in God's name does the government expect us to tell the world when a photo of a senior minister smiling alongside the caption "Death to Arabs" is released?"
MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv of the Democrats party also condemned the image, calling it not only a "Hasbara [public diplomacy] disaster,” but a “moral disaster," and accused leaders of the settlement movement of turning a blind eye to the message in the photo.
Kariv added: "This photo may have been taken on top of the hill at Sa-Nur, but it reflects the abyss into which the Netanyahu, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir government is dragging us – an abyss of annexation, terrible violence and international isolation."
Smotrich’s office said in response to the criticism: “We saw the graffiti only after the photo was released to the press; we completely disavow the caption.”
The statement went on to criticise the media reaction: “What hurts the media is not stupid graffiti that no one notices, but the fact that Minister Smotrich is leading a revolution in settlements and security” in the West Bank.
Also present at the visit was Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky, who was recently appointed chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee despite facing an active police investigation over allegations of rape and witness tampering.
In a post on X, Milwidsky wrote: “Great excitement to see the area reawakened. This is an important moment for Zionism, a correction for a historical injustice and good news for the future of the Israeli settlement movement.”
The visit came on the heels of a recent cabinet decision, announced by Smotrich, to approve the construction of 22 new settlements in the West Bank, including at Sa-Nur.
The group behind the visit also pointed to a newly passed Knesset motion calling for the application of Israeli sovereignty to the territory.
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