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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in an interview ahead of Israel's general elections, called for Israel to 'go to war' in the occupied West Bank and 'do there what we did in Gaza,' reiterating demands to dismantle the Palestinian Authority and annex territory up to the Litani River in Lebanon and the Gaza ceasefire line. He framed this as making Israel's enemies 'pay a price' for October 7 and subsequent conflicts. Analysts and human rights experts warned the remarks should not be dismissed as mere campaign rhetoric given Smotrich's influence over settlement policy, while the comments coincided with Israel imposing a week-long 'comprehensive closure' on West Bank crossings for the Sukkot holiday.