Israeli government may be split, one minister threatens to resign

There may be a split in the Israeli government, one of the ministers threatens to resign Irina Chebotnikova

The agreement that Israel concluded with Hamas has divided society. Far-right parties have spoken out sharply against it. In particular, the Israeli Finance Minister is threatening to resign.

The first stage of the agreement stipulates that the Israel Defense Forces will withdraw from some settlements. Tel Aviv will release “many hundreds” of Palestinian prisoners, including those who killed Israelis. In turn, Hamas will release 33 hostages. These conditions are what caused the politicians to quarrel. The details are reported by Channel 24 with reference to CNN.

How Israel is reacting to the agreement with Israel

Bezalel Smotrich, who has headed the Finance Ministry since 2022, has threatened to resign. He represents the far-right Religious Zionism party.

The agreement that will be submitted to the government is bad and dangerous for the national security of the State of Israel. We oppose it with all our might, he said.

Since Smotrich is against any concessions to Hamas, he said: the terrorists must be defeated with weapons. And to do this, it is necessary to return “to war with great force, on a full scale and in a new configuration until complete victory.” The minister named the confidence in returning to such a war as a condition for his stay in the government.

According to Smotrich, they had a heated discussion with Netanyahu. The Prime Minister knows the demands of “Religious Zionism,” so the ball is in his court.

Similar thoughts were previously expressed by the “Tikva Forum.” Its participants are calling on members of Netanyahu's cabinet to oppose the ceasefire agreement.

Please note! The agreement with Hamas must be approved by both the security cabinet and the full government. In addition, the government must give opponents of the document time to file a petition with the Supreme Court.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the agreement a choice between bad and worse. According to him, this is a difficult decision, because it provides for the release of the murderers of Israelis. The agreement is painful for both the victims of terrorism and all Israeli citizens.

Saar did not say whether he would vote for the document. But he stressed that the government is obligated to return the abducted people and is responsible to them.