Reserve major general prefers Arabs over Smotrich: "I happen to be Jewish"

Reserve Major General Gil Regev told journalist Guy Peleg that he feels a greater closeness to the Arabs he worked with in Rafah and the West Bank than to Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and dismissed Jewish identity as a significant common denominator.

Reserve Major General Gil Regev sparked controversy when he told journalist Guy Peleg that he feels a greater closeness to the Arabs he worked with in the past than to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Regev dismissed Jewish identity as a significant common denominator between him and Smotrich, saying: 'I happen to be Jewish. My mother was Jewish.' He described encounters with Arab workers in Rafah and the West Bank, where 'we would wipe hummus, eat olives,' and claimed that 'I and they had more in common than I will ever have with Smotrich.' The remarks were made during a conversation that also touched on the possibility of civil war in Israel, and Regev clarified that he does not support such a scenario but warns it could occur. The article does not include a response from Smotrich.