'We want them to feel at home': RZP has done 'a great deal' for olim, Smotrich tells 'Post'

Jerusalem Post/Israel NewsFinance Minister Bezalel Smotrich tells The Jerusalem Post why new immigrants should support the Religious Zionist Party in the upcoming election.Follow us on GoogleFinance Minister and Religious Zionist Party head Bezalel Smotrich at the primary count, Jerusalem, July 26, 2026.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)BySHIR PERETS, SAM HALPERNJULY 26, 2026 21:55Updated: JULY 26, 2026 22:09Finance Minister and Religious Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich urged new immigrants to back his party in Israel's upcoming election, telling The Jerusalem Post that RZP had championed many measures to help olim settle in Israel.“Remember, the Aliyah Minister was from our party,” he noted, referring to Minister Ofir Sofer.“We introduced tax exemptions for new immigrants, recognition of foreign diplomas, rental assistance, and greatly expanded the work of the Aliyah Ministry. We want our brothers and sisters to come here and feel that this is their home.”Smotrich added that his party is “committed to Israel's security,” stressing RZP would set out to “put an end to the disastrous idea of dividing the land, handing over territory, and establishing a terrorist state in the heart of the Land of Israel.”Finance Minister and Religious Zionist Party head Bezalel Smotrich at the primary count, Jerusalem, July 26, 2026. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)Smotrich: RZP pushes to strengthen Israel’s Jewish identityIn addition, Smotrich pointed to the party’s work supporting judicial reform - a process to limit the courts’ power that was championed by the coalition prior to the Israel-Hamas War - saying he would “ensure that we have a real democracy, where the Knesset, the government, and the judiciary do not step on each other's toes.”As finance minister, Smotrich also stated he and his party “led the economy through the longest and most expensive war in Israel's history,” adding that with him at the helm, Israel has been given “a strong shekel, a rising stock market, and a high-tech sector breaking records.”“We serve all the people of Israel, just as the State of Israel does, and I believe we are deserving of a great deal of public trust,” he concluded.Follow us on Google