Ben-Gvir suspends his party from the coalition role until the terms of the ceasefire agreement are clear

The chairman of the Ötzma Jehudit party, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said on Wednesday that he would suspend his role in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition until the prime minister announces the details of the ceasefire proposal announced by US President Joe Biden on Friday.

“As long as the prime minister keeps the details of the agreement secret, Otzma Yehudit will disrupt his coalition,” tweeted the right-wing politician, who also serves as Israel’s national security minister.

Biden announced the proposal publicly in a televised address on Friday. The agreement, which the White House presented on Friday and described as an Israeli proposal, provides for a “permanent” end to hostilities and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

The US president claimed that his administration wanted a future “without Hamas in power,” but described a series of steps that did not include the elimination of the terrorist group or its surrender.

Biden’s announcement sparked resistance within the Israeli coalition: Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) threatened to dissolve the government if the agreement was implemented.

Ben-Gvir described the deal outlined by Biden on Saturday evening as a “capitulation” to Hamas and said it committed Israel to ending the war without achieving its goal of destroying the terror group.

“This is a reckless deal that represents a victory for terrorism and a security threat to the State of Israel. Agreeing to such a deal is not an absolute victory – it is an absolute defeat. We will not allow the war to end without completely eliminating Hamas,” he tweeted.

“If the prime minister implements this reckless deal under the conditions announced today, … Otzma Yehudit will dissolve the government,” Ben-Gvir concluded.

The united Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit faction has 14 seats in the Knesset, playing a central role in maintaining Netanyahu’s 64-member coalition, elected in November 2022.

Earlier this week, Israel Hayom quoted sources in Netanyahu’s office as saying that the prime minister intends to present the full draft of the agreement to Ben-Gvir.

During a closed session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday, Netanyahu told lawmakers he would not “describe the details of the agreement,” but added that Biden’s portrayal of Jerusalem’s negotiating position was “inaccurate.”