Netanyahu compromises with Smotrich, Ben-Gvir to secure ceasefire deal
3 Min Read
Israeli reports reveal that Netanyahu offered Ben-Gvir and Smotrich proposals to expand settlements and strengthen security measures to secure their support for future agreements.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the fifth day of testimony in his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, on December 23, 2024. (AP)
Israeli media reports indicate that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered enticing proposals to Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, including plans to expand settlements in the West Bank and enhance security measures.
Netanyahu reportedly assured the two ministers that upcoming actions would bolster their popularity, warning that "if Ben-Gvir withdraws from the government, political gains may be credited solely to Smotrich."
Ben-Gvir emphasized that over the past year, he and his team successfully thwarted attempts to finalize a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, arguing that such agreements pose both security and political risks to "Israel".
According to Israeli reports, Netanyahu is attempting to persuade Ben-Gvir and Smotrich to back the agreement by highlighting two key points: first, that Trump’s presidency will bring significant benefits to "Israel", and second, that "Israel" will be able to resume the war if needed, with US support.
Read next: Comprehensive Gaza deal aims for total end of aggression: Exclusive
As a prisoner exchange deal and a halt to the aggression in Gaza draw near, with the US President deeming it "imminent," Smotrich stated, "What is before my eyes is only one thing: how to achieve all the war's objectives, which is absolute victory."
Smotrich articulated his definition of absolute victory as "the total destruction of Hamas, both militarily and civically, alongside the return of all kidnapped soldiers." He emphasized, "I am stating this in a serious, behind-closed-doors dialogue, and I will not rest or remain calm until these objectives are fulfilled."
A senior official in the office of Religious Zionism party leader Smotrich stated, "We will decide in the coming hours whether to issue an ultimatum regarding the withdrawal from the government if the deal is approved."
The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported recently, "Trump is a bigger concern than Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. That’s why Netanyahu worked hard to explain the situation to them. With Smotrich, he found a receptive ear. Smotrich is counting on annexing Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) in 2025, and that won’t happen without Trump. So, Gaza can be sacrificed."
Smotrich calls Gaza deal 'catastrophe'
On Monday, relatives of Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip angrily criticized Smotrich for opposing the ceasefire-prisoner exchange agreement being negotiated in Qatar.
He issued a statement warning that his party “will not be part of” the proposed agreement, which he described as "a catastrophe for Israel’s national security."
"We will not be part of a surrender deal that would include releasing terrorists, stopping the war and dissolving the achievements that were paid for with much blood, and abandoning many hostages," he asserted.
He argued that "now is the time to continue with all our might, to occupy and cleanse the entire Strip, to finally take control of humanitarian aid from Hamas, and to open the gates of hell on Gaza until Hamas surrenders completely and all the hostages are returned."
Angered by his statement, dozens of family members of the captives stormed into a meeting room in the Knesset, where the Finance Committee was convening to discuss the 2025 budget.
A verbal altercation ensued with him, lasting over an hour, during which they accused him of "abandoning the captives."
