Israeli far-right ministers threaten to resign over Gaza ceasefire proposal

[Pelican Press 0]

******** far-right ministers threaten to resign over Gaza ceasefire proposal

Two far-right ******** ministers have threatened to quit and collapse the governing coalition if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agrees to a Gaza ceasefire proposal unveiled by US President Joe Biden on Friday.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said they were opposed to striking any deal before ****** was destroyed.

But opposition leader Yair Lapid pledged to back the government if Mr Netanyahu supported the plan.

The prime minister himself insisted there would be no permanent truce until ******’s military and governing capabilities were destroyed and all hostages released.

Mr Biden’s three-part proposal would begin with a six-week ceasefire in which the ******* Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw from populated areas of Gaza. The deal would eventually lead to the release of all hostages, a permanent “cessation of hostilities” and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza.

But in a post on social media on Saturday, Mr Smotrich said he told Mr Netanyahu he would “not be part of a government that agrees to the proposed outline and ends the war without destroying ****** and bringing back all the hostages”.

Echoing his words, Mr Ben-Gvir said “the deal.. means the end of the war and the abandonment of the goal to ******** ******. This is a reckless deal, which constitutes a victory for terrorism and a security threat to the State of *******”.

He vowed to “dissolve the government” rather than agree to the proposal.

Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition holds a slim majority in parliament, relying on a host of factions, including Mr Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit (******* Power) party – who hold six seats – and Mr Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party – who hold seven seats – to maintain power.

But Yair Lapid, one of *******’s most influential opposition politicians, was quick to offer his backing to the embattled prime minister. His Yesh Atid (There is a future) party hold 24 seats.

He said Mr Netanyahu “has our safety net for a ******** deal if Ben-Gvir and Smotrich leave the government”.

The row came as tens of thousands of people rallied in Tel Aviv, calling on the ******** government to accept Mr Biden’s proposed plan. They also demanded Mr Netanyahu’s resignation. Scuffles broke out between protesters and police, and some demonstrators were reportedly detained.

In a ****** statement on Saturday, mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the US urged both ******* and ****** to “finalise” Mr Biden’s proposed deal.

Officials said that “as mediators in the ongoing discussions to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees”, they “call on both ****** and ******* to finalise the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Joe Biden”.

*** Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also offered his backing to the plan, telling reporters that his government could “flood Gaza with far more aid” if ****** accepts the ceasefire plan.

Earlier, a senior ****** politician told the BBC it “will go for this deal” if ******* does.

But in a statement on Saturday, Mr Netanyahu’s office said *******’s “conditions for ending the war have not changed”.

It listed these as “the destruction of ****** military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to *******”.

The statement added ******* would “continue to insist these conditions are met” before agreeing to a permanent ceasefire.

Elsewhere, fighting continued in Rafah on Saturday, with reports of ******** air strikes on Gaza’s southern city on Egypt’s border.

Shelling and gunfire were also reported in Gaza City, in the north of the ************ territory.

More than 36,000 people have been ******* in Gaza since the start of the conflict, according to the ******-run health ministry.

The war began on 7 October 2023 when ****** gunmen launched an unprecedented ******* on *******, ******** about 1,200 people and taking 252 back to Gaza as hostages.

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