In a lengthy social media post on Saturday night, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged supporters of West Bank annexation to adopt the tactics of the movement to free the hostages in Gaza, including weekly rallies and an assertive, organized awareness campaign.

The post by Smotrich — a far-right proponent of applying Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank — was an attempt to chart a path forward following US President Donald Trump’s repeated vows this month that Israel would not annex the territory. The statements by Trump, who said Israel would lose US support if it proceeded with annexation, were a major setback to those who support the move.

In response, Smotrich wrote that proponents of applying Israeli sovereignty should look to the relatives of Israeli hostages for inspiration. Trump has spoken frequently of releasing the hostages, and bringing all the captives home from Gaza is a foundational piece of the ceasefire deal that took effect two weeks ago. The deal has seen all 20 living hostages released, in addition to 15 deceased captives.

Smotrich attributed that centrality to the massive activist campaign on the hostages’ behalf.

“The Hostage Families Forum, and the prime minister who enlisted to help them, did not falter and explained to the president and his people over and over again how important returning the hostages was to the Israeli public, and how much siding with Israel meant bringing the hostages back, even more so than defeating Hamas,” Smotrich wrote.

“And they succeeded,” he continued. “The president understood the importance of the issue, changed his mind and his policy, and the........

© The Times of Israel