Smotrich bombshell and the Witkoff incident: Has a plot to topple Netanyahu begun?

By Hassan Asfour

In an incident that may be rare, if not unique, in the history of the state of the entity, an Israeli crowd chanted against their prime minister during speeches by the US official delegation — Witkoff and Kushner and his wife, the daughter of Trump — who attended to show “solidarity” with the hostage families protesting in a Tel Aviv square.

That the US delegation, particularly Witkoff, in his address before families angry with Netanyahu — an event broadcast on various Hebrew and international media, including Arabic outlets — tried to “praise” him and his role in completing the Sharm El-Sheikh deal cannot be regarded as ignorance or accidental. He surely knows, and has heard repeatedly, what these families’ positions are; they have been accusing him for two years of not wanting to complete a swap deal and of deliberately prolonging the war at their expense.

The outburst of Tel Aviv families and their shouts during Witkoff’s speech carry a political dimension that cannot be ignored, and so the reaction from Netanyahu’s justice minister came quickly, describing it as “a disgrace and a despicable act,” because he understands the implications behind it.

Witkoff’s incident in Tel Aviv coincided with a major media bombshell from Finance Minister and acting Defense Minister Bezalel Smotrich of Netanyahu’s terrorist settler government, who said they delayed sending forces to confront the attackers on October 7 for hours and described what happened as “a divine blessing to achieve their dream.”

Smotrich’s remarks in themselves are not entirely surprising: all the heads of the occupation’s security services had acknowledged similar points, and the most important testimony came from the then-chief of staff, Halevi, who spoke of going to follow up on an important event.

But the difference between the admissions by the occupation’s security chiefs about foreknowledge of a Hamas plan and Smotrich’s confession is that he comes from the heart of the coalition with the prime minister — not someone from his party, family or online committees accused of hating him and working to implement a plot to replace him, as was the case in the campaign against former Defense Minister Gallant, expelled Shin Bet head Bar, and dismissed Chief of Staff Halevi.

Smotrich’s statements, in which he revealed prior knowledge of what happened on October 7 and that forces were deliberately delayed in rescuing the attacked civilians, will be the most important testimony the opposition can use to push for the formation of an official inquiry committee. That would open the door to prosecuting Netanyahu — and all indications and reports point to prior knowledge of the Hamas plan and allowing it to be carried out.

Smotrich’s remarks, which did not pass unnoticed within the entity, could be the fast-moving engine driving a squeeze on Netanyahu, forcing him either to form a special court to investigate the “circumstances of October 7” and the failure to take appropriate decisions in a timely manner, or to seek a prearranged settlement of his legal situation via a “judicial deal” that would pave the way for his exit from the scene with guarantees against prosecution and arrest in the corruption cases for which he is on trial.

As a reminder, moves to remove Netanyahu began in practice after the opposition inside the entity met in full for the first time since the Likud alliance was elected, and agreed to work together to topple the incumbent government — days before the Sharm El-Sheikh agreement.

The Witkoff incident in Tel Aviv and Smotrich’s bombshell are early, Trumpian-style signposts of American arrangements for the day after the Gaza war, one that would exclude both Netanyahu and Hamas.

Note: BBC Radio said that Hamas recruited 7,000 fighters — a strange report. How did they know the number and when were they recruited? It’s well known that this is a Brotherhood-aligned broadcaster, but such a security report raises suspicions. Is Hamas now also working with the British, or are the British using it as a presence tunnel? Poor Gaza — what more awaits you from the crimes of the Brotherhood?

Special note: After they announced the reopening of the Rafah crossing for back-and-forth travel, the Hamas leaders outside said they packed their bags. They said, “Where, O darling of the heart and soul… where are you, Gaza? We are coming with the billions we collected for you, Gaza.” Imagine such news. But alas, it turned out to be false — a lie. Those who left are not returning. Their homeland is not Palestine at all.