Two far-right Israeli ministers have threatened to quit and collapse the governing coalition if Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, agrees to a Gaza ceasefire proposal unveiled by United States President, Joe Biden, on Friday.
Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich and National Security, Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, said they were opposed to striking any deal before Hamas was destroyed.
Opposition leader, Yair Lapid has pledged to back the government if Mr Netanyahu supports the plan.
The prime minister himself insisted there would be no permanent truce until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities were destroyed and all hostages released.
But one of Mr Netanyahu’s advisers, Ophir Falk, later described the plan as something “we agreed to” and emphasised Israel is not rejecting it, even if they do not consider it a “good deal”.
Mr Biden’s three-part proposal would begin with a six-week ceasefire in which the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) would withdraw from populated areas of Gaza. The deal would eventually lead to the release of all hostages, a permanent “cessation of hostilities” and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza.
But in a post on social media on Saturday, Mr Smotrich said he told Mr Netanyahu he would “not be part of a government that agrees to the proposed outline and ends the war without destroying Hamas and bringing back all the hostages”.
Echoing his words, Mr Ben-Gvir said “the deal.. means the end of the war and the abandonment of the goal to destroy Hamas. This is a reckless deal, which constitutes a victory for terrorism and a security threat to the State of Israel”.
He vowed to “dissolve the government” rather than agree to the proposal.
Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition holds a slim majority in parliament, relying on a host of factions, including Mr Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, who hold six seats and Mr Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party, who hold seven seats, to maintain power.
But Yair Lapid, one of Israel’s most influential opposition politicians, was quick to offer his backing to the embattled prime minister. His Yesh Atid (There is a future) party holds 24 seats.
He said the prime minister “has our safety net for a hostage deal if Ben-Gvir and Smotrich leave the government”.
Before the intervention of Mr Netanyahu’s government partners, a senior foreign policy adviser said many details of the plan needed to be worked out and there would be no permanent ceasefire “until all our objectives are met”.
The row came as tens of thousands of people rallied in Tel Aviv, calling on the Israeli government to accept Mr Biden’s proposed plan.
Many demonstrators also demanded Mr Netanyahu’s resignation and some told reporters they feared the prime minister could torpedo the proposal.
A group campaigning to bring home Israeli hostages captured by Hamas has warned that such a move would endanger the lives of those held in Gaza.
Scuffles broke out between protesters and police, who used mounted officers and water cannons to disperse the crowds. Some demonstrators were reportedly detained.
Protests have become a fixture in Tel Aviv in recent months, as families of hostages and other anti-government campaigners have held rallies calling for a hostage deal – as well as for Mr Netanyahu to step down or call an election.
In a joint statement on Saturday, mediators from Egypt, Qatar and America urged both Israel and Hamas to “finalise” Mr Biden’s proposed deal.
Officials said that “as mediators in the ongoing discussions to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees”, they “call on both Hamas and Israel to finalise the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Joe Biden”.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also offered his backing to the plan, telling reporters that his government could “flood Gaza with far more aid” if Hamas accepts the ceasefire plan.
