Two far-right Israeli ministers threaten to overthrow government if it accepts Biden peace plan

CNN
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Two far-right Israeli ministers have threatened to resign and topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition if he accepts a peace proposal put forward by US President Joe Biden.

Biden on Friday unveiled what he called a three-phase Israeli proposal to end the conflict in Gaza, which would combine the release of hostages with a “total and complete ceasefire.”

In a speech at the White House, Biden said Hamas was degraded to the point where it could no longer carry out the type of attack seen on October 7 that sparked the current war in Gaza.

“It is time for this war to end,” he said, making it clear that – for him – Israel’s war aims have been achieved.

But the two most prominent far-right members of the Israeli government, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have made it clear that they reject an immediate ceasefire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also signaled he wasn’t ready either, casting doubt on Biden’s proposal.

In a statement on social media, Smotrich said he had “made it clear” to Netanyahu that he would “not be part of a government that would accept the proposed outline and end the war without destroying Hamas and return all the hostages.

Smotrich demanded that fighting continue until “the destruction of Hamas and the return of all hostages,” as well as the “creation of a completely different security reality in Gaza and Lebanon.”

National Security Minister Ben Gvir, for his part, called the deal “reckless” and a “victory for terrorism,” as well as a danger to Israel’s security.

“If the Prime Minister implements this irresponsible agreement under the conditions published today, which mean the end of the war and the abandonment of the elimination of Hamas, Otzma Yehudit will dissolve the government,” he said , referring to the far-right party. he leads and helps support Netanyahu’s majority in parliament.

Biden had alluded to tensions within the Israeli government in his speech, directly calling on ordinary Israelis to express their support.

“I know there are those in Israel who will disagree with this plan and will call for the war to continue indefinitely. Some, some are even part of the government coalition,” he said.

The proposal would first see the release of the hostages and Israel’s withdrawal from “all populated areas of Gaza”, ultimately leading to a plan to rebuild Gaza, which has been left in ruins due to the fighting.

The plan was widely praised, with the UN and other international powers urging Israel and Hamas to accept it.

Hamas said it viewed the plan “positively” and was ready “to deal positively and constructively with any proposal based on a permanent ceasefire.”

Less than an hour after Biden detailed the proposal, Netanyahu insisted that Israel would not end the war in Gaza until it achieves all of its goals, including the destruction of Hamas .

The extent to which Netanyahu agrees with the plan is unclear, as the statement also said that the “exact outline” of the Israeli proposal allows Israel to “uphold these principles.”

On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that Israel would “not accept” any war-ending deal that would allow Hamas to rule Gaza. During a visit to the IDF’s Southern Command headquarters on Sunday, Gallant said options for a “government alternative to Hamas” were being considered.

“We will not accept Hamas rule in Gaza at any stage of the process to end the war,” Gallant said, according to a statement from his office.

However, Hamas has made it clear that it will not accept any other group ruling Gaza. On May 16, the group’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, noted that regarding “the aftermath of the war,” there had been “calls to eliminate Hamas.”

“We say Hamas is here to stay,” Haniyeh responded.

On Sunday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the administration was “currently awaiting an official response from Hamas” to the Israeli ceasefire proposal.

Asked whether there would be a situation in which Hamas would accept the proposal but Israel would not, Kirby, speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” said the Biden administration had “all expectations” that Israel would accept.

“We expect that if Hamas accepts the proposal, as it was conveyed to them, an Israeli proposal, Israel will say yes,” Kirby added.

Netanyahu faces pressure not only from his own coalition. On Saturday, protesters took to the streets again to demand his resignation and early elections.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid offered to support Netanyahu in accepting the proposal and condemned the comments by Smotrich and Ben Gvir.

“Ben Gvir and Smotrich’s threats are neglect of national security, hostages and residents of the north and south,” he said.

“This is the worst and most reckless government in the history of the country. For them there will be eternal war here, zero accountability, zero management, complete failure.

Netanyahu’s government faces growing international calls to end the war in Gaza as the conflict approaches its ninth month.

The war was sparked by Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7, which left around 1,200 people dead and more than 200 people taken hostage. Since then, the Israeli campaign in Gaza has killed more than 36,000 people.