Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded to the leaked recordings detailing his plan to achieve civil control in the West Bank, stating at the start of his faction meeting: "My life's work is to thwart any possibility of establishing a Palestinian state in the heart of the country. This is the reason I entered public service. I do not hide this and I say it as clearly as possible." According to him, "We will apply sovereignty over the West Bank, initially through actions on the ground and subsequently through legislation and formal recognition. I call on Netanyahu to immediately approve in the cabinet my proposal to recognize five new settlements and to impose economic sanctions against the Palestinian Authority."