Bezalel Smotrich

Who is Bezalel Smotrich?

Bezalel Yoel Smotrich is an Israeli politician. The leader of Tkuma, he is currently a member of the Knesset for United Right. Smotrich is also the co-founder of the NGO Regavim which seeks to demolish illegal constructions by non-Jews in Israel and the West Bank.

Smotrich was born in Haspin, an Israeli settlement in the Golan Heights, and grew up in the Beit El settlement in the West Bank. His father was an Orthodox rabbi, and Smotrich received a religious education, attending Mercaz HaRav Kook, Yashlatz, and Yeshivat Kedumim. During his service in the Israel Defense Forces, he served in the Operations Division of the General Staff. He earned a BA in law from Ono Academic College, and studied toward a degree in public and international law from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which he did not complete. He was certified as a lawyer.