Divided by possible hostage deal, Israeli war cabinet meeting cancelled
A meeting of Israel’s War Cabinet scheduled for Tuesday night was cancelled as the governing coalition was divided over a possible hostage deal with Hamas.
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir at a Knesset committee meeting on Nov. 20, 2023. Photo by Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS
Terms of the deal reportedly include allowing displaced Palestinians from northern Gaza to return to their homes, the release of hundreds of Palestinian terrorists from Israeli prisons, and a temporary ceasefire whose length will be based on the number of Israeli hostages freed by Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a private meeting with Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has threatened to pull the Otzma Yehudit’s party’s six lawmakers out of the government.
In a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ben-Gvir explained afterwards: “The prime minister heard these things, promised that Israel would enter Rafah, promised that the war would not end, and promised that there would be no reckless deal.”
Ben-Gvir added, “I think the prime minister understands very well what it will mean if these things do not happen.”
During a meeting with the families of hostages the same day, Netanyahu insisted, “The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there – with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory.”
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich took a hardline against a hostage deal. Following a faction meeting of his Religious Zionism party, Smotrich told reporters that the emerging hostage deal is an “existential danger” to Israel and he would prefer joining the opposition than supporting it.
“In the end, my responsibility is to the public, to my conscience and to the truth. And the head and the truth say that such a deal must be opposed because its results will be disastrous,” Smotrich said.
“A government that submits to international pressure, stops the war in the middle, avoids immediate entry into Rafah and returns to Egyptian mediation proposals that leave Hamas existing in any configuration will instantly lose its right to exist,” he added.
The party has seven Knesset seats.
Gadi Eisenkot, a member of the War Cabinet and former military chief of staff denounced Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. In a Facebook post, Eisenkot wrote, “The cabinet defined the goals of the war six months ago. In the last day, two cabinet members have been using blackmail with political threats. This is a serious phenomenon that harms Israel’s national security. I will only be a partner in a government that makes decisions based on considerations of the national interests of the State of Israel, and not on political considerations.”
At least 1,200 people were killed and 240 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Around 30 of the remaining 133 hostages are believed dead.
Ben Gvir is openly threatening Netanyahu and the coalition government now. He is not a member of the War Cabinet and Netanyahu needs to make decisions based on what’s best for Israel and the hostages, disregarding these political issues Ben Gvir is presenting. In fact, it would be doing all of us a favour of Ben Gvir and Smotrich withdrew. Netanyahu should never have formed an alliance with them in the first place.
This man must be the most hated man in West Asia and beyond.