Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to his coalition partners to resume the war in Gaza after implementing the first stage of the ceasefire deal with Hamas, would breach the terms of the deal, informed officials have said.
Israeli Kan Radio yesterday quoted Israeli officials involved in the ceasefire talks as saying that “any pledge by Netanyahu to his political partners to return to fighting after the first stage is a breach of the agreement which is also likely to thwart the first stage.”
Israeli Finance Minister and leader of the far-right Religious Zionism Party, Bezalel Smotrich met earlier with Netanyahu and demanded the bombing of Gaza be resumed after the first stage of the deal as a condition to accepting it, however media reports indicated that the meetings did not result in an agreement.
Later, the Religious Zionism Knesset bloc issued a statement expressing “strong opposition” to the deal, adding that the party would quit the ruling coalition if Smotrich’s demand was not met.
The deal stipulates that if the two sides reach understandings on the second stage, this will lead to a permanent ceasefire and the release of the remaining Palestinian and Israeli prisoners.
Israeli officials noted that Netanyahu’s pledge to Smotrich “is in effect an admission that Israel will violate the agreement before it goes into effect.”
MK Zvi Sukkot from the Religious Zionism Party told Kan yesterday that his party will most likely withdraw from the government.
“As far as we are concerned, the next stages of the deal will not be implemented, and we are here to change the DNA of the state of Israel, not for the sake of positions. The current situation leads to withdrawing from the government.”
Earlier this week, head of the Otzma Yehudit Party and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Smotrich to join forces with him in blocking the deal by threatening to withdraw from the coalition government.
Ben-Gvir slammed the deal as a “surrender” to Hamas.
Hard-line Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir threatens to quit over Gaza deal