The Israeli Minister of Finance and also Minister of the Defense portfolio, Bezalel Smotrichthreatened this Sunday to break up the Prime Minister’s coalition government, Benjamin Netanyahuif this one does not invade as he has promised Rafahthe southernmost part of the Gaza Strip.
“If you decide to wave a white flag and cancel the order to occupy Rafah immediately in order to complete the mission of destroying Hamas and restoring the security of the residents of the south and the citizens of Israel,” as well as “return all our kidnapped brothers and sisters to their homes, “The Government headed by you will not have the right to exist.”Smotrich said today in a videotaped message addressed to Netanyahu.
“Accepting the Egyptian agreement is a humiliating surrender and grants victory to the Nazis on the backs of hundreds of heroic soldiers”added Smotrich in his message, in which he also described any truce agreement as “a death sentence” for the 133 kidnapped people still in Gazadespite the fact that 105 former captives, the majority of those released so far, were exchanged for 240 Palestinian prisoners in the only November truce.
For his part, the War Cabinet Minister, Benny Gantzcontradicted Smotrich and assured that, If the Government does not agree to a pact, supported by the Security Cabinet and that “does not imply the end of the war in Gaza”, then it should stop governing.
“Entering Rafah is important in the long fight against Hamas. The return of our kidnapped people, abandoned by the government on 7/10, is urgent and of much greater importance,” he added.
The Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, today retweeted a message from his X account from January 30, in which threatened with the “dissolution of the Government” in the event of a truce agreement.
His words come after Hamas confirmed having received, in the early hours of Saturday, a final counteroffer of a truce following recent talks in Cairo, where a delegation from the Islamist group is expected to land tomorrow.
And also days after new demonstrations take place throughout Israel to demand that Netanyahu release the hostages and early elections, simultaneous with the unprecedented protests on US university campuses, which ask the US president’s government, Joe Bidennot support the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu won the elections on November 1, 2022 and obtained 64 of the 120 seats in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) thanks to his coalition with far-right forces Religious Zionism from Smotrich, Jewish Power from the anti-Arab Itamar Ben Gvir and Noam from the homophobic Avi Maoz, as well as with the two ultra-Orthodox parties: JUT and Shas.
