Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir both said on Saturday night that they would not agree to US President Joe Biden’s proposal and threatened to leave the government if his plan was accepted.
Smotrich said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “I just spoke with the prime minister and made it clear that I will not be part of a government that agrees to the proposed outline and ends the war without destroying Hamas and bringing back all the hostages.”
שוחחתי כעת עם ראש הממשלה והבהרתי לו שלא אהיה חלק ממשלה שתסכים למתווה המוצע ותסיים את המלחמה ללא השמדת חמאס והשבת כל החטופים.לא נסכים להפסקת המלחמה לפני השמדת חמאס, לא לפגיעה קשה בהישגי המלחמה עד כה באמצעות נסיגת צה”ל וחזרת עזתים לצפון הרצועה, ולא לשחרור סיטונאי של מחבלים שישובו…
— בצלאל סמוטריץ’ (@bezalelsm) June 1, 2024
He added, “We will not agree to stop the war before Hamas is destroyed. We will not accept undermining the achievements of the war so far by withdrawing the IDF and allowing Gazans to return to the northern part of the [Gaza] Strip. We will not permit the wholesale release of terrorists who might return to murder Jews.”
Smotrich demanded “the continuation of the fight until Hamas is destroyed and all hostages are returned.”
“We seek the creation of a completely different security reality in Gaza and Lebanon, the return of all residents to their homes in the North and South, and massive investment in the accelerated development of these areas,” he said.
Ben-Gvir said on Saturday evening that “the deal, as its details were announced today, means the end of the war and the abandonment of the goal to destroy Hamas. This is a reckless deal, which constitutes a victory for terrorism and a security threat to the State of Israel.”
He stressed that “agreeing to such a deal is not an absolute victory, but an absolute defeat.”
“We will not allow the war to end without the complete eradication of Hamas. If the prime minister proceeds with the reckless deal under the conditions published today, which means the end of the war and abandoning the goal to destroy Hamas, Otzma Yehudit will dissolve the government,” Ben-Gvir warned.
Support hostage deal
Opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has a safety net from us for a hostage deal if Ben-Gvir and Smotrich leave the government.”
Lapid’s comments referred to a promise that he had made to Netanyahu in February that he would ensure the prime minister’s government retained the necessary mandates to remain viable in the event that Smotrich and Ben-Gvir left the government in protest of a hostage deal.
Lapid emphasized that “the Israeli government cannot ignore President Biden’s significant speech. There is a deal on the table and it needs to be done.”
New Labor Party leader MK Yair Golan praised Biden’s announcement.
Golan made a statement on X, saying “President Biden, a true friend of Israel, says in his voice what everyone in Israel already understood in the early stages of the war. The condition for the return of all the abductees is the cessation of fighting. Netanyahu played down the achievements of the IDF and the chances of [bringing home] the abductees. Now the fighting must end and [then we can] bring everyone home.”
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