Israeli ministers threatened to resign if they accept the ceasefire proposal
Last Updated on June 2, 2024 2:27 pm
Two of the country’s hard-right ministers have threatened to resign if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepts the Gaza ceasefire proposal unveiled by US President Joe Biden.
They made this threat at the Isail cabinet on Saturday (June 1). BBC news.
It said Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gavir opposed Biden’s proposed deal. They said they would resign if the deal was accepted before Hamas was eliminated.
Meanwhile, Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid Netanyahu said that if Netanyahu accepts this plan, he will support the government. Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said there would be no permanent ceasefire until Hamas’s military and governing power is destroyed and all hostages are released.
Earlier last Friday, Biden proposed a three-point ceasefire. The first of these called for a six-week ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli troops. The third phase of the proposal includes a reconstruction plan with U.S. and international aid to rebuild homes, schools and hospitals in Gaza.
However, criticizing this plan, Israel’s finance minister wrote to Netanyahu on social media, saying he would not be part of a government that ends the war without destroying Hamas and returning all hostages by agreeing to the proposed plan.
Ben-Gavir also spoke in the same tone. He also wrote on social media that the deal.. means an end to the war and dropping the goal of destroying Hamas. It is a reckless deal, a triumph of terrorism and a security threat to the State of Israel. This minister of Israel has threatened to dissolve the government.
Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition does not have a large majority in parliament. This includes six seats for Ben-Gavir’s Otzma Yehudit Party and seven seats for Smotrich’s Religious Zionism Party. Netanyahu needs these two to hold on to power. But Netanyahu is in an advantageous position to voice his support for the Lapid government. Because Lapid’s party Yesh Atid has 24 seats.
Meanwhile, thousands of people protested in Tel Aviv to accept Biden’s ceasefire proposal. They also demanded Netanyahu’s resignation. On Saturday, Egypt, Qatar and the United States called on Israel and Hamas to accept Biden’s proposed cease-fire deal in a joint statement.