Bezalel Smotrich
| Bezalel Smotrich | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Date of birth | 27 February 1980 |
| Place of birth | Golan Heights |
| Knessets | 20 |
| Faction represented in Knesset | |
| 2015– | Jewish Home |
Betzalel Yoel Smotrich (Hebrew: בצלאל יואל סמוטריץ', born 27 February 1980) is an Israeli politician. A member of the Tkuma, he currently serves as a member of the Knesset for the Jewish Home.
Smotrich was born in the Golan Heights and grew up in the Beit El settlement in the West Bank. His father was a rabbi and Smotrich received a religious education, attending Mercaz HaRav Kook, Yashlatz and Yeshivat Kedumim. He studied law at university.
He was arrested during protests against the disengagement plan in 2005, and was held in jail for three weeks but not charged. In 2006, he helped organise the "Beast Parade" as part of protests against a gay pride parade in Jerusalem, although he later admitted regret at the incident.
In the buildup to the 2015 Knesset elections he won second place on the Tkuma list after party leader Uri Ariel. The party contested the elections as part of the Jewish Home, with Smotrich placed eighth on its list for the elections. He was elected to the Knesset as the party won eight seats.
Smotrich initiated the following legislation which passed in the Knesset:
In July 2015 Smotrich caused a controversy by declaring in a Knesset Interior meeting that developers in Israel should not have to sell homes to Arabs. The meeting took place following accusations that Galil Homes refused to sell homes to Arabs in Ma'alot, a northern Israeli town. Smotrich defended the developer, saying that "anyone who wants to protect the Jewish People and opposes mixed marriages is not a racist. Whoever wants to let Jews live a Jewish life without non-Jews is not a racist." He added that Jews are the ones deprived in Israel because "“they don’t get free land in the Negev,” a reference to Bedouin. "I believe in God’s words. I prefer that Jews make a living and wouldn't sell a house to Arabs."
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