Finance Minister states, ‘The State of Israel does not fund humanitarian aid for the citizens of Gaza. Period.’
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded to Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s claim in the Knesset that Israel is the party funding the humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“The State of Israel does not fund humanitarian aid for the citizens of Gaza. Period. But look who is fighting against our dramatic move to take control of humanitarian aid so that it does not reach Hamas and so that we can finally strangle it, defeat it and destroy it: the UN, Hamas, the global left-wing media and Haaretz newspaper,” Smotrich said.
“In short, anyone who wants the State of Israel to lose and surrender and understands how dramatic the move by American society is. Now someone explain to me why Yair Lapid is joining the opponents and those who prefer that aid continue to flow to Hamas and maintain its rule,” he added.
Earlier, Lapid hinted in the Knesset plenum that Israel is behind the aid. “Is the State of Israel behind two shell companies established in Switzerland and the United States to organize and fund humanitarian aid in Gaza? Is Israeli taxpayers’ money funding aid today?”
Lapid further stated, “If this money is Israeli and the government is hiding it, this is not only a fraud against Israeli citizens—it is one of the greatest diplomatic blunders in the country’s history. If our tax money is buying humanitarian aid, funding food and medicine for children in Gaza, let’s gain from this on the international stage. Let’s open newscasts worldwide with something good Israel has done in Gaza.”
He concluded, “Maybe Ben Gvir and Smotrich won’t like it, and maybe Smotrich is afraid they’ll know he transferred the money, but the money has already been transferred. This is good for Israeli public diplomacy, good for Israeli foreign relations, and even good for Jewish values.”
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Netanyahu also denied Lapid’s claims.
