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Smotrich sets conditions for staying in coalition if hostage deal approved

The Religious Zionism Party leader is demanding the dismantling of Hamas and renewed fighting in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attend a Cabinet meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on Jan. 7, 2024. Photo by Ronen Zvulun/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attend a Cabinet meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv on Jan. 7, 2024. Photo by Ronen Zvulun/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, has set conditions for his Religious Zionism Party to remain in the government if a deal with Hamas for the release of hostages is approved.

These demands include a government commitment to resume the fighting if the terror group’s rule is not overthrown after 42 days, intensification of fighting with additional resources, reducing humanitarian aid to Gaza and securing permanent territorial control in Gaza, as well as measures to encourage voluntary emigration from the Strip, according to an outline provided by Channel 12 News.

The finance minister has stated that he will leave the government if the deal is signed without these conditions being met.

The publication of Smotrich’s ultimatum comes after he issued a video statement in the morning after hours of consultations regarding the proposed deal.

While the finance minister did not directly address Otzma Yehudit Party head Itamar Ben-Gvir’s call for their joint resignation from the government, Smotrich emphasized his focus on defeating the Gaza-based terrorist group and bringing home all captives.

“We are at a decisive and fateful moment for the security, future, and existence of the State of Israel. What stands before me is one thing only, and I approach it with awe and reverence: how to achieve the full objectives of the war—total victory, the complete destruction of Hamas both militarily and civically, and the return of all our captives,” he said.

Smotrich met with Netanyahu on Tuesday afternoon, according to Kan News. According to Channel 12 News, Smotrich told the premier: “I will not remain in the government for another day if we do not return to fight until victory. Anyone who takes hostages deserves to die, and immediately after [the hostages’] release, we must go back and destroy them [Hamas].”

Another meeting between Netanyahu and Smotrich was scheduled for Wednesday with the participation of Defense Minister Israel Katz.

The Religious Zionism Party, which holds seven seats in Netanyahu’s 68-member governing coalition, slammed the “surrender deal” on Monday as a “catastrophe” for the Jewish state.

“We will not be part of a surrender deal that includes the release of arch-terrorists, halting the war, undermining the achievements that were secured with many lives lost and abandoning numerous hostages,” stated Smotrich.

Ben-Gvir, whose Otzma Yehudit Party occupies six seats in the coalition, has called on Smotrich and other lawmakers to join him in leaving the government if it approves the ceasefire with Hamas.

“In the current composition of the government, Otzma Yehudit cannot prevent the deal, and our withdrawal alone will not prevent it from being implemented,” the national security minister stated on Tuesday.

“We succeeded in the past year through our political power in preventing this deal from going through,” the right-wing leader said. “Since then, however, additional parties have joined the government which support the deal, and we are no longer the decisive factor.”

Ben-Gvir added that “even if we are in the opposition, we will not bring down Netanyahu, but this move is our only chance to prevent its implementation and to prevent the surrender of the State of Israel.”

On Wednesday, Ben-Gvir reiterated his claim that he had thwarted a previous deal, which an Israeli official denied to Channel 12.

“Just as through our power in the government we prevented reckless agreements in the past, so through our power in the government we led to the establishment of the National Guard, which is now taking shape,” he stated at a ceremony for the National Guard’s formation in the Border Police.

Ohad Tal, who chairs the Religious Zionism Party’s Knesset faction, urged U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to reject the current Hamas deal in comments at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Tuesday.

Seven members of Netanyahu’s Likud Party also came out against the terms of the emerging deal on Monday, per Kan News.

The Israeli public broadcaster published a letter that it obtained, in which Likud lawmakers Avihai Boaron, Amit Halevi, Dan Illouz, Tsega Melaku, Hanoch Milwidsky, Moshe Passal and Moshe Saada, and Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) and Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) wrote to Netanyahu, “Do not cross the most basic moral lines, do not endanger Israel’s security.”

Meanwhile, the announcement of a ceasefire-hostage deal could be imminent. Israel and Hamas are reportedly finalizing the details as negotiators continue discussions in Doha.

Jerusalem signaled its support for the current proposed hostage deal—which reportedly calls for the release of thousands of terrorists and an Israeli withdrawal from strategic areas—after being pressured by Steve Witkoff, whom Trump named as his Middle East envoy, according to Hebrew media reports.

On Tuesday night, Netanyahu held discussions with Israel’s hostage negotiation team and security officials. His office provided an update to the families of the hostages, stating that talks in Doha are ongoing, with both sides working on finalizing the details necessary for an agreement. Negotiations continued through the night, and Netanyahu’s office assured the families that they would be updated as soon as possible.

In a post on X Tuesday night, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs placed the blame firmly on Hamas for the failure to reach a deal. He wrote:

“I participated in all the forums that discussed the matter. The current deal, which is the same deal from May 27, was rejected by Hamas for six months and still remains unapproved by them. Had Hamas provided a positive response during this time, it would have had a majority in both the Cabinet and the government. This is known information. The prime minister has not moved an inch from his position. The only party responsible for thwarting the deal is Hamas!”

The terror group is holding 98 hostages in Gaza, 94 of whom were kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, and four of whom were captured in 2014, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. Thirty-six of the hostages Hamas is holding are deceased, including two from 2014 (Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul).

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