Smotrich calls to shutter US-led Gaza coordination center, resettle Strip |
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to shut the US-led multinational coordinating center that supports US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war.
Washington established the Civil Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) last October as a center for civilian and military personnel from other countries to work alongside US and Israeli officials on post-war Gaza planning.
“The time has come to dismantle the headquarters in Kiryat Gat,” said Smotrich, the chair of the far-right Religious Zionism party, in remarks shared by his office to media, referring to the southern Israeli city where the center is based.
By dismantling the headquarters, Israel will be able to remove representatives stationed there from “countries like Egypt and Britain that are hostile to Israel and undermine its security,” and will instead be able to do what is best for the Jewish state, Smotrich said. He declined to explain why he had singled out the United Kingdom for criticism.
The Prime Minister’s Office, the US State Department and the US military’s Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the remarks, nor did the British and Egyptian foreign ministries.
US Central Command in December said that 60 countries and organizations were represented at the center. The CMCC has also been tasked with facilitating humanitarian aid entering Gaza since the start of a ceasefire in early October 2025.
The US-led CMCC was established after Trump announced his 20-point plan to end the war. Germany, France, and Canada are also among the countries that have sent personnel there.
Smotrich, speaking at an event marking the establishment of the new Jewish settlement of Yatziv in the West Bank, said that although Trump deserved Israel’s gratitude for his part........