Haaretz Editorial12:23 AM • August 20 2026 IDTWho will Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the settlers and their representative in the cabinet, succeed in defeating first through his "Decisive Plan"? The Palestinians, or the State of Israel? The finance minister is not wasting time. The election clock is ticking, and his party is hovering close to the Knesset's electoral threshold. So, he must create as many facts on the ground as possible to block any future attempt of resolving the conflict by forfeiting land. Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:PalestiniansIsrael settlementsWest BankU.S. electionsICCTwo-state solutionBenjamin NetanyahuBezalel SmotrichCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesFlorida DemocratsIranLikudNetanyahuJared KushnerWest BankYehuda KatzPollHaaretz PodcastStop Smotrich Before He Dooms the Palestinians and the State of IsraelIsrael's Divided and Divisive 'Unity Camp' Is Great News for the OppositionNetanyahu Hopes Warning Turkey Against Military Expansion in Syria Is EnoughIf Hamas Terrorists Are Nazis, Why Doesn't Israel Treat Them as Such?Haaretz CartoonRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIShe's the Superstar of the Israeli Left, and She Wants PowerIDF Marks Detained Palestinians With Numbers as Northern West Bank Raids ExpandIsrael Police Say Missing Israeli Mother and Daughter Found in ArgentinaReality Check: As the Election Nears, Haaretz Debunks Israeli Politicians' Biggest Lies'We're Not Nazis. This Isn't an Extermination Machine as During the Holocaust'So Will It Be a Problem if Miriam Adelson Flies to Israel to Vote?