Israel minister: ‘Political blackmail’ by far-right MKs harming national security

Israeli War Cabinet Minister and ex-Chief of Staff, Gadi Eisenkot, has slammed what he described as the “political blackmail” practised by far-right ministers, saying they “harm Israel’s national security”.

“The cabinet defined the goals of the war six months ago. Over the last day, two cabinet members have been blackmailing with political threats,” Eisenkot said in a statement yesterday evening.

Describing their actions as “a serious phenomenon that harms Israel’s national security,” Eisenkot asserted that he “will only be a partner in a government that makes decisions based on the national interests of the state of Israel, and not on political considerations.”

Eisenkot’s statements come after far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and  National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, threatened to withdraw from the coalition government if Tel Aviv postponed plans to invade Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah and end the ongoing war on the besieged Strip. Should they pull out the coalition, the government would collapse.

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Yesterday, Smotrich slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for making “dangerous strategic concessions” in order to secure the release of Israeli prisoners of war held in Gaza, and hinted that he could leave the coalition if it approves a ceasefire agreement currently being negotiated in Egypt.

Speaking with the press following a meeting of his far-right Religious Zionism faction in the Knesset, Smotrich said concluding the deal would endanger Israeli civilians and that he is “ready to pay the political price” to prevent an “existential threat” to the state of Israel.

He added that after eliminating Hamas, Israel must devote itself to inflicting a greater blow to Hezbollah in the north.

Ben-Gvir met with Netanyahhu yesterday and said the prime minister has vowed to invade Rafah and not end the war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

“I warned the prime minister [of the consequences] if, God forbid, Israel does not enter Rafah, if, God forbid, we end the war, if, God forbid, there will be a reckless deal,” Ben-Gvir said in a video statement.

“The prime minister heard my words, promised that Israel would go into Rafah, promised that the war would not end, and promised that there would be no reckless deal. I welcome these things. I think the prime minister understands very well what it will mean if these things do not take place.”

Haaretz newspaper reported yesterday that the majority of the Israeli War Cabinet “now prefer to reach a deal at the expense of invading Rafah,” in contrast to Netanyahu, who it said “still has reservations about reaching an agreement under the current circumstances.”

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