By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
SvennoJ on 17 January 2025
Edit Thread

If deal passes, Ben-Gvir says he will leave government with ‘heavy heart’

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has reiterated his threat to leave the government if it passes the ceasefire deal, saying it puts Israeli lives at risk.

“I love Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will work to ensure he remains prime minister, but I will leave because the deal that was signed is disastrous,” wrote Ben-Gvir in a post on X.

The deal, he claimed, will “release hundreds of terrorists with blood on their hands” and allow thousands of armed fighters in Gaza to return to the enclave’s north. “It undermines Israel’s defensive capabilities along the Philadelphi Route and other critical points and undoes all the war’s successes, which came at a great cost of blood,” he said.

“The hostages are close to my heart and the hearts of all party members. We want to see them released and embraced by their families, but not through surrender to Hamas.”

Smotrich, Ben-Gvir’s opposition to deal leaves Netanyahu with three options: Ex-Israeli diplomat

Alon Pinkas, the former Israeli ambassador and consul general in New York, speaks to Al Jazeera about how Israel’s Finance Minister Smotrich and Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s opposition to the ceasefire deal could affect Netanyahu.

If the ministers withdraw from the government, he said the Israeli prime minister has three options.

Netanyahu can still have them vote with the coalition – even though this could lead to a very close vote – and “assume that if the ceasefire falters and the war resumes, they will return to the government”. Pinkas said this is likely the Israeli PM’s “ideal scenario”.

The second is to reshuffle his government and to consider the ministers gone without any intent of coming back. Netanyahu can then try to draw centrist parties into his coalition.

The third option is to signal a major breakdown of the coalition, “accept he can’t make ends meet”, and opt for an election.


Obstacles to ceasefire deal resolved at dawn: Hamas

Hamas says that obstacles that arose in relation to the terms of the Gaza ceasefire agreement were resolved at dawn today, according to a statement issued by the group.

The lists of Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel in the first phase of the deal will be published through the Prisoners’ Office according to the stages and procedures of the exchange, the group said.