Bezalel Smotrich
Role at the time: Minister of Finance of Israel and chairman of the Religious Zionism party, in a post on X
Statement summary
In a Hebrew-language post on X at 10:06 UTC on September 30, 2026, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote that Israel must relate to the intention and not to the results. The Guardian's English translation says that "anyone who tried to bring down a plane and murder 180 Israelis should pay as though they had murdered them" and that the same should apply to "any country or terrorist organisation that sent them." The post also gives thanks for the rescue.
“anyone who tried to bring down a plane and murder 180 Israelis should pay as though they had murdered them – as should any country or terrorist organisation that sent them”
Smotrich's post in Hebrew, about three and a half hours before the Defense Minister's statement. The Guardian's English translation of the post is cited as a separate source.
Why we used this label
The case asks whether a pilot deliberately tried to crash FZ1073. Smotrich wrote as though the attempt were established ("anyone who tried to bring down a plane") and called for a penalty on that basis. We labeled it Condemned because it asserts the proposition. He cited no evidence for the attempt and did not say that anyone sent the suspect. His reference to a sending state or organization is conditional on someone having sent him.