Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrych, leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, said that his political force would leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government coalition if the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip is not resumed after the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. This was reported by The Time of Israel and the Israeli TV channel i24News.
The party said in a statement that a return to active hostilities is the main condition for maintaining its participation in the coalition. “We insist that after the first phase of the agreement is completed, the war to destroy Hamas should be immediately resumed,” the communique said on Thursday.
Criticism of the ceasefire agreement
Smotrych called the ceasefire agreement “catastrophic and dangerous for national security”, saying it “levelled the achievements of the war”. As an alternative, he demanded guarantees that military operations would resume with greater intensity.
Religious Zionist MP Tzvi Sukkot said on Kan Reshet B radio that the decision to leave the government could be made in the near future. “We are not here for positions, but to change the DNA of Israel. If the situation does not change, we will leave the coalition,” he said.
Terms of the second phase of the agreement
According to the Israeli Times of Israel, the second phase of the agreement provides for the release of all hostages, including military personnel and men of military age, and the return of the bodies of dead hostages. However, one Israeli official stressed that Israel will not leave the Gaza Strip until all hostages return home, dead or alive.
Political crisis in the Netanyahu government
The far-right party’s statements pose serious challenges to the coalition government. Without the support of Religious Zionism, Netanyahu risks losing his parliamentary majority, which could lead to a political crisis in the context of military operations.
