Binyamin Netanyahu has come under attack from the far right in Israel for endorsing US president Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich characterised Mr Netanyahu’s approval of the plan as “a tragedy of leadership that lacks true vision”.
Mr Smotrich, the leader of the far-right Religious Zionist party, termed the widespread endorsement of the agreement in Israel as “absurd”.
“This is a historic missed opportunity to break free from the shackles of the Oslo Accords,” he wrote, in a reference to the historic peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians in the 1990s.
“It’s a resounding diplomatic failure, a wilful blindness, and a betrayal of all the lessons of the October 7th, 2023, Hamas attack. In my view, it will all end in tears.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum criticised Mr Smotrich for his remarks, saying: “If not for the sabotage by you and your allies, the murder of 42 hostages who were kidnapped alive and died in Hamas captivity could have been prevented ... You are not seeking security, but conquest.
“The Israeli people will not accept this. For us, there is only one picture of victory: all the hostages home, the evacuees back in their communities, and the soldiers, regular and reservists, breathing again with their families and livelihoods.”
The plan specifies an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the introduction of a transitional government led by an international body.
Members of Mr Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party backed the ceasefire proposal, praising it as a significant diplomatic achievement that has boosted Israel’s international standing.
Economy minister Nir Barkat said the move was “diplomatic genius”, while education minister Yoav Kisch described the peace proposal as an “agreement that leads to the achievement of all the war’s goals”.
Culture minister Miki Zohar thanked Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu, saying that “Israel is making peace from strength”.
The Likud politicians highlighted what they termed a significant achievement, praising Mr Netanyahu for blocking international efforts aimed at creating a Palestinian state.
Some Likud members, however, said they do not believe Hamas will agree to Mr Trump’s proposal.
Knesset member Tally Gotliv said it was “clear as day” that the “brutal and murderous Hamas would not agree to return all our hostages in 72 hours”, adding that she hopes she is “entirely wrong this time”.
Opposition politicians welcomed the ceasefire plan but expressed concerns that Mr Netanyahu will attempt to backtrack on it.
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Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that while the plan mediated by the US is not perfect, “it is the best option on the table”. He warned, however, that “Netanyahu is a seasoned expert at ‘yes, but’. Usually, he says the ‘yes’ in Washington and the ‘but’ when he returns to Israel and his political base reminds him who’s boss.”
He added: “This cannot happen.”
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who is expected to make a political comeback in the next election, said Mr Netanyahu was responsible for the disaster of October 7th, 2023.
“We will never forget that in the October 7th massacre, more than 1,200 Israelis were murdered, burned, raped and slaughtered, and 251 were taken hostage right from their beds,” he wrote. “It was a horrific failure that demands a state commission of inquiry. A disaster that cannot be erased.”
Avigdor Lieberman, head of the right-wing opposition Yisrael Beiteinu, quoted the Bible in welcoming the ceasefire, saying: “And thy children shall return to their own border.”
Yair Golan, leader of the left-wing opposition Democrats party, accused Mr Netanyahu of prolonging the war “for narrow political reasons” and called on him to apologise for “all the blood that has been shed and the suffering he caused”.
