Leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party Bezalel Smotrich, one of the most radical figures ever to emerge in Israel’s political arena, may soon be named Israel’s minister of defense with responsibility for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Three years ago, former deputy head of the Shin Bet security service Yitzhak Ilan reportedly revealed that the agency suspected Smotrich had planned to blow up cars on a major highway during the 2005 Gaza disengagement. Ilan said at the time that Smotrich was a “Jewish terrorist.” If he gets his way and is nominated defense minister, Smotrcich will hold ministerial and constitutional authority over the West Bank, one of the most volatile places on earth.

The IDF has occupied the West Bank since capturing it in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, but Israel never annexed the area and Israeli law does not apply there (except for east Jerusalem, which Israel did annex). For over half a century, the IDF has held sole responsibility for enforcing military law in the West Bank, making the defense minister the sovereign power in this territory.

Troops clash frequently with Jewish settlers living in the territory and seeking to expand their hold on the land. The IDF has had only limited success in curbing their expansion, but if the minister in charge would be himself a settler and head of a party that advocates Jewish settlement throughout these territories, the potential scenarios become absurd.