Two far-right Israeli ministers have threatened to resign from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government over a ceasefire proposal put forward by President Biden on Friday.
National Security Minister Itamar Bengvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich both said on social media platform X that no deal could be reached unless the Palestinian militant group Hamas was first destroyed, and that they would pull their parties out of the coalition if the current proposals were adopted.
Biden announced a new Israeli-led proposal submitted to Hamas through Qatar, which includes a three-part roadmap for the release of all remaining hostages held on October 7 and a path to a full ceasefire, including the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from populated areas of Gaza and reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip.
Ben Gvir slammed the proposal, saying the war would not end unless Hamas was destroyed.
“This is a reckless deal, a victory for terrorism and a security threat to the state of Israel,” he said. Said X’s Saturday.
Smotrich offered a similar assessment.
“We demand that the war continue until Hamas is destroyed and all hostages are returned,” he said. Said He also stated his opposition to the return of displaced Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu said the terms of a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas “remain unchanged.”
“Israel’s conditions for ending the war remain unchanged: the destruction of Hamas’ military and governing capabilities, the release of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” he said on Saturday.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said he would support the hostage proposal “if Ben Gvir and Smotrich leave the government.”
Both Smotrich and Ben Gvir’s parties could defect, potentially losing the prime minister’s majority in parliament.
On the ground, fighting continues in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The war, now nearly eight months old, began with a Hamas attack on October 7 that left some 1,200 Israelis dead and about 250 taken hostage. Since then, Israeli bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
