A key party in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition is threatening to quit if the prime minister doesn’t return to war in Gaza after the first phase of a ceasefire-hostage agreement that was reached with Hamas on Wednesday. This move has the potential to lead to the collapse of the Israeli government.
The agreement, mediated by Qatar, the United States, and Egypt, outlines that Hamas and Israel will begin negotiating a permanent ceasefire during the initial 42-day phase of the truce. However, the Israeli cabinet postponed a Thursday vote to ratify the deal, citing alleged last-minute changes by Hamas, which the militant group denied.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionist Party has set a condition that Israel must “return to the war in order to destroy Hamas and secure the release of all hostages immediately after the conclusion of the first phase of the deal” to remain in the government. It remains unclear if the party is seeking a written guarantee from Netanyahu regarding a return to war.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, another far-right member of the government, has also threatened to resign and has urged Smotrich to join him. While neither party individually has enough lawmakers in parliament to bring down the government, together, they control 14 seats in the legislature, which is sufficient to topple the government.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid has extended an offer to Netanyahu to provide a “safety net” to protect his government from collapse. However, this support is likely contingent on the ceasefire deal and could be withdrawn once all hostages are released, potentially leading to the collapse of the government.
