Far-right national security minister says he will ensure Benjamin Netanyahu remains Israel's premier
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir renewed his opposition on Friday to the proposed Gaza prisoner swap and cease-fire agreement, signaling that ministers from his party would resign from the government if the deal is approved.
"If the deal is approved, we will leave the government with a heavy heart,” Ben-Gvir said in a statement.
"I love Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and I will ensure he remains in office, but I will leave because the agreement signed is catastrophic,” he added.
Ben-Gvir also criticized the agreement for “weakening” Israel's defense capabilities along the Gaza-Egypt border (the Philadelphi Corridor) and in other strategic areas, claiming it would “undo the successes of the war.”
The far-right official said that "if war resumes, we will return to the government.”
“We will not bring down this government and we will support it from the outside but we will not be partners in a defeatist agreement,” he stressed.
Otzma Yehudit, Ben-Gvir's party, holds six seats in Israel's 120-member Knesset and three ministerial positions in the expanded government.
As the sole representative of his party in the Security Cabinet, his resignation would not significantly affect the prospects of the agreement passing given the majority support for it within both the Security Cabinet and the broader government.
Qatar announced a three-phase cease-fire agreement on Wednesday to end over 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip with the cease-fire set to take effect on Sunday.
Nearly 46,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children were killed and more than 110,000 injured in Israel's genocidal war on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
