The Biden administration unleashed a torrent of criticism against Israel’s polarizing finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, on Friday after he referred to cease-fire negotiations with Hamas as a “dangerous trap.”
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said a lengthy statement posted by Smotrich to the social platform X made “ridiculous charges” regarding his opposition to a cease-fire deal to end the fighting in Gaza.
“Some critics, like Mr. Smotrich, for example, have claimed that the hostage deal is a surrender to Hamas or that hostages should not be exchanged for prisoners. Mr. Smotrich essentially suggests that the war ought to go on indefinitely without pause and with the lives of the hostages of no real concern at all,” Kirby said.
“His arguments are dead wrong; they’re misleading the Israeli public.”
It’s rare for the White House to issue such direct criticism against a senior government official of an ally government — even as the the Biden administration has previously pointed out dangerous rhetoric and actions undertaken by Smotrich and the violent, far-right segment of Israeli society he inspires.
When asked by a reporter what made the White House decide to put out such a forceful statement against an Israeli senior official, Kirby questioned Smotrich’s motivation.
“I think a better question is, ‘What made Mr. Smotrich decide, in the wake of the joint statement right now and the support that it’s been given — not only by other leaders, but by Israel itself — what made him decide to put that statement, that outrageous and absurd statement, out?’ I think that’s a better question.”
Kirby’s remarks underscore the Biden administration’s frustration with Israel as the president seeks to broker a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, which the White House has described as nearing the finish line. Even as Hamas’s head in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, is viewed as a major obstacle to achieving a cease-fire deal, the administration has said significant concessions are required from Hamas and Israel.
“This is on both sides,” Kirby said.
The administration views the cease-fire deal as the best way to bring home hostages held by Hamas — it’s not clear how many of the 115 are still alive — scale up humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip and lower the temperature in the region amid fears of a wider war with Iran.
President Biden, along with the Egyptian president and emir of Qatar, issued a joint statement Thursday calling on both Israel and Hamas to commit to resume negotiations for the cease-fire deal in either Doha or Cairo next week.
The statement triggered a lengthy criticism from Smotrich, who warned Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to fall into a “dangerous trap” by signing onto the deal, rejecting the bargain of releasing Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in exchange for the hostages; and described the cease-fire deal as a “surrender.”
Kirby rejected these points and said Biden “won’t allow extremists to blow things off course, including extremists in Israel making these ridiculous charges against the deal.”