Smotrich calls for West Bank war and annexation

What happened

• Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on a Ynet podcast on Sunday that Israel should "go to war" in the West Bank and do there what it did in Gaza, in order to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, which he described as a terror authority.The Times of IsraelYnetnewsThe Times of Israelthenationalnews.comThe New Arab
• He said the operation should continue until no terrorists, weapons or tunnels remained, and also urged annexing the part of Gaza up to the so-called yellow line and Lebanese territory up to the Litani River, arguing that wars ending on their starting lines deter no one.thenationalnews.comThe New ArabThe Times of Israel
• The Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the remarks as an explicit call for escalation, annexation and displacement, and urged the UN Security Council and the United States to act.The New Arabthenationalnews.com
• The remarks land weeks before Israel's late-October election, with Smotrich separately accusing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of interfering in the campaign after she ordered a delay to the tender for the E1 settlement project, according to Haaretz.HaaretzThe New Arabthenationalnews.com

Why it matters

A senior cabinet minister is publicly proposing to extend Israel's military campaign to the West Bank and to annex territory in Gaza and Lebanon, a position that bears directly on the fate of the Palestinian Authority and on Israel's standing abroad during an election campaign.The New Arabthenationalnews.comThe Times of Israel

Where coverage differs

• Israeli centrist outlets such as the Times of Israel and Ynet built their coverage around the minister's own words and the list of territories he wants annexed.The Times of IsraelThe Times of IsraelYnetnews
• Outlets outside Israel set the quotes inside a wider account of the West Bank, leading with or adding Palestinian casualty and arrest tallies, settlement expansion and the Palestinian condemnation.The New Arabthenationalnews.comand 1 source we do not link
• The Palestine Chronicle stated as established fact that Israel's Gaza campaign was genocidal, while The National attributed contested characterisations and noted Israel disputes that the settlements are illegal.thenationalnews.comand 1 source we do not link