Israel’s security minister resigns over hostage deal
Israel’s national security minister quit the Cabinet on Sunday over the ceasefire with Hamas, labelling the deal “a catastrophe”.
Itamar Ben-Gvir had threatened to leave on Thursday after details of the agreement with the terror group were announced. The deal will see almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners released during phase one of the ceasefire, in return for 33 of the 97 Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
While his departure does not mean the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Right-wing coalition, the move leaves the premier with just 62 seats in the 120-seat parliament, in which he must maintain the majority.
Mr Ben-Gvir criticised the conditions of the “reckless” deal, which he said includes the release of “thousands of terrorists”, 737 from Israeli prisons, mostly incarcerated on terror charges, and 1,167 detained during Israel’s ground operations in Gaza.
“If the war against Hamas resumes with full force toward achieving its decisive goals and objectives that remain unmet, we will return to the government,” he said after his resignation.
Mr Ben-Gvir, himself charged eight times for offences that include racism and supporting a terrorist organisation, has long stirred anger across the region by his defiant visits to the holy Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, one of Islam’s most sacred sites.
He has now called on Betzalel Smotrich, the Right-wing finance minister, to follow him.
However, while Mr Smotrich has also criticized the deal, on Sunday, he warned that “the overthrow of the government would inevitably lead to a halt to the war” and open the door to the country’s more centrist and Left-wing parties.
He said: “The Left would provide Netanyahu with a safety net for a few months, only in exchange for a commitment to continue with the remaining stages of the deal and end the war without destroying Hamas and overthrowing its rule in Gaza,” referring to Yair Lapid, the Opposition leader, and Benny Gantz, the National Unity party leader.
On Thursday, amid the threats from Mr Ben-Gvir, Mr Lapid, who has called for Israel’s longest-serving PM to step down in the wake of the war, said old rivalries would be swept aside for the sake of the ceasefire deal.
“I say to Benjamin Netanyahu, don’t be afraid or intimidated, you will get every safety net you need to make the hostage deal. This is more important than any disagreement we’ve ever had,” the Yesh Atid leader said.
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Mr Gantz, Israel’s former defence chief, also gave his backing on Tuesday, saying the return of the hostages must come before anything else, voicing support for Mr Netanyahu to push ahead with the deal in spite of resistance from the coalition.
“Reaching a plan to return our abductees is a supreme value and a strategic necessity – failing to return them and abandoning them is a national catastrophe. The state camp will give full political backing to the plan for their return,” he said.
On Sunday, Mr Smotrich said the risks associated with not ensuring the hostages’ return, would be far greater for Jews around the world than going ahead with a deal which has a clause giving Israel the right to resume fighting.
Oct 7 was the most deadly single day for Jews since the Holocaust with at least 1,100 mostly civilians killed and over 250 more taken hostage.
“Beyond the great risks of releasing terrorists, returning Gazans to the northern Gaza Strip, etc, the greatest strategic damage in this deal lies in the fact that the message it resonates with is that kidnapping Israelis brings the State of Israel to its knees.
“This is a danger to every Jew around the world. The only way to repair this damage and turn the deal into a tactical loss in battle rather than a strategic defeat in war is to return to fighting until Hamas is destroyed,” he added.
Last week, the Tivka Forum of Hostages’ Families also criticized the deal. “This deal leaves dozens of hostages behind in Gaza. It also sets the stage for the next massacre and future kidnappings of Israelis,” they said in a statement.
Mr Netanyahu has long felt the fragility of the coalition in which Mr Ben-Gvir has frequently caused friction at home and abroad with Israel’s allies.
In May, Mr Ben-Gvir criticized Joe Biden when the US president threatened to withhold military aid if Israel invaded Rafah, writing on X, formerly Twitter, that Hamas loves Biden.
The series of flare-ups led Mr Netanyahu to bring back an old political rival, Gideon Saar, in September.
The two fell out four years ago and former Likud member Mr Saar never since found the success of his days alongside Mr Netanyahu heading a small conservative party.
The agreement saw Mr Saar become a minister without portfolio, an opportunity to revive his political career amid hopes to one day be the next PM, while expanding Netanyahu’s majority coalition to 68 seats in the 120-seat parliament.
