Israel’s Far-Right Finance Minister Said He Was Promised A "Gradual Takeover" Of Gaza Despite The Ceasefire
Bezael Smotrich said he decided not to quit "to make sure that this commitment to destroying Hamas is realized."
Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezael Smotrich, said he did not quit the government over the ceasefire deal after he was promised a “gradual takeover” of Gaza.
His announcement, which was posted on Facebook on Sunday, Jan. 19, comes after three far-right ministers quit Israel’s cabinet, including security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, to protest the ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Smotrich, who is part of the far-right, ultranationalist Religious Zionist party, had also threatened to quit if Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government approved the deal for the ceasefire.
“Unfortunately, the Prime Minister decided to give the green light to a bad, catastrophic deal,” Smotrich, who has been the finance minister since 2022, said in his Facebook video.
He added that he had “received a commitment” for “victory through gradual takeover” of the Gaza Strip.
“I've made a difficult decision to stay in government to make sure that this commitment to destroying Hamas is realized,” he reiterated in a statement posted on Facebook on Monday.
He also said Gaza will remain “destroyed and dismantled” and “unfit for habitation”.
Meanwhile, minister David Amsalem denied that Netanyahu had made such promises to Smotrich, according to the Jerusalem Post.
If other far-right lawmakers were to also resign, Netanyahu would lose his parliamentary majority, which could lead to early elections.
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