The two far-right ministers in Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition are expected to oppose a Gaza ceasefire after US president Donald Trump announced on social media that Israel had agreed to a 60-day truce.
National security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Strength) party, on Wednesday urged finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the Religious Zionist party, to form a united bloc within the government against a ceasefire.
Mr Ben–Gvir said he wanted Mr Smotrich’s help as he alone “cannot halt this process, but together they have enough votes [in the Knesset parliament] against the deal.”
Both men want the Israel Defense Forces to conquer the entire Gaza Strip and restore Jewish settlements in the enclave while encouraging Palestinians to leave. They also oppose releasing hundreds of Palestinian militants held by Israel, including many who took part in fatal attacks on Israelis, as part of a ceasefire deal.
The emerging ceasefire deal, which has still to be formally endorsed by Israel and Hamas, is believed to call for an initial 60-day truce, during which talks would be held on a permanent end to the fighting. The 50 hostages would be released in stages. Eight of the 20 hostages who are believed to be alive would be released at the start of the process, and another two on the truce’s 50th day.
Mr Netanyahu will meet Mr Trump at the White House on Monday to discuss the ceasefire proposal.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, the largest group representing families of Israeli captives, reacted angrily to the far-right ministers, issuing a statement saying the two men had forgotten what it meant to be Jewish and had forgotten the values of mutual responsibility and comradeship on which the state of Israel had been established.
Foreign minister Gideon Saar said that there was a large majority in the government and the public for a hostage deal and an opportunity should not be missed.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid told Mr Netanyahu that he could provide 23 votes for a safety net to ensure a parliamentary majority if Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich – whose parties provide 13 votes – withdraw from government.
Yair Golan, head of left-wing The Democrats party, said Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich were not Zionist and did not deserve to sit at the cabinet table.
Avigdor Lieberman, head of the right-wing opposition Yisrael Beiteinu party, said that all hostages must be brought back now.
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is being held hostage in Gaza, urged Mr Netanyahu not to align himself with the two “wretched” ministers in preventing a deal. She stressed that Mr Netanyahu told her recently that he does not need Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich to approve a hostage deal, as he has broad support even without them.
Mr Trump hopes that a Gaza ceasefire will pave the way for a broader regional realignment, with more Arab and Muslim states willing to engage with Israel, undermining right-wing opposition to a deal.
Oman may be willing to join the Abraham Accords, adding to the handful of Arab states which have already normalised ties with Israel. There may also be a declaration from Syria of an end to hostilities, although formal ties are unlikely as long as Israel remains on the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Saudi Arabia is of most importance where Israeli regional integration is concerned, but Riyadh insists on an Israeli declaration in support of Palestinian statehood before it will establish diplomatic relations.
