Israeli extremists furious over Khan Younis withdrawal
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Israeli media report that the Israeli right is angered by the withdrawal from Khan Younis and the reports about a looming ceasefire.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, speaks with Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich during the weekly cabinet meeting at the Security Ministry in 'Tel Aviv', occupied Palestine, January 7, 2024 (AP)
The extremist elements in the government are "furious" about the withdrawal from Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, and the reports about a looming ceasefire.
The far-right factions in the government may withdraw their support from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, due to the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the southern Gaza Strip.
While some diplomats have expressed "cautious optimism" that the negotiations in Cairo will succeed in reaching a prisoner exchange agreement and a ceasefire in Gaza, far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called on his party, Religious Zionism, to hold "urgent consultations" on the war, according to the Times of Israel.
In addition, Smotrich wrote a strongly-worded letter to Netanyahu, in which he accused the prime minister of caving into international pressure and bypassing the cabinet on key issues, such as the withdrawal from Khan Younis, the Israeli website claimed.
Smotrich called on Netanyahu to hold a meeting of the "expanded cabinet" to discuss the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from Khan Younis, noting that "the only body authorized to make key decisions in wartime is the expanded cabinet, but things are not going that way."
The Israeli finance minister added that decisions were "being made in the [war] cabinet without the approval or notification of the wider cabinet and under international pressure, which has harmed the momentum of the war and our security interests."
Netanyahu to lose premiership
As for Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right ally of Smotrich's, he was more explicit in his position, as he threatened that Netanyahu "will not have a mandate to continue in his position if he decides to end the war without launching a major attack on Rafah."
For his part, the leader of the Israeli opposition and chairman of the Yesh Atid party, Yair Lapid, said that he "will support Netanyahu if his far-right allies decide to threaten them."
Lapid added that his party was "ready to provide support for the prisoner exchange deal at any time," noting that the seats held by Yesh Atid in the "Knesset" (24 seats) were more than the seats shared by Ben Gvir and Smotrich (14 seats) out of the 72 seats in Netanyahu's current coalition.
It is worth noting that the Prime Minister needs 61 seats, which is slightly more than half of the 120-member Knesset, in order to take office.
This is not the first time that Smotrich and Ben Gvir have threatened to dismantle Netanyahu's government and undermine his rule, as they support continuing the war and oppose reaching an agreement leading to a truce, despite the failure of the Israeli military operation to achieve any of the declared Israeli goals."
Progression in peace talks
A senior source within the Palestinian factions told Al Mayadeen today that no progress has been achieved in the ongoing negotiations taking place in the Egyptian capital Cairo on a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal.
The source affirmed that the Resistance's delegation went to the negotiations in Cairo armed with the nationally agreed-upon Palestinian stance.
The source stressed that Palestinian demands are clear, and there will be no agreement or exchange deal without achieving them.
These include an immediate cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Gaza, the return of displaced persons, accommodation for the people of Gaza, and the reconstruction of the Strip.
The demands also include the opening of crossings for the entry of aid into Gaza, the lifting of the Israeli siege imposed on the Strip, and the completion of a genuine prisoner exchange deal.
According to the source, all attempts and efforts made by mediators to achieve an agreement and a prisoner exchange deal have been met with intransigence and obstruction by the Israeli occupation.
The source warned that Israeli media are resorting to lies and deception to deceive their society through disseminating fabricated news, adding that the official media sources of the Palestinian people will announce any new developments in the negotiations.
