Right-wing extremists are putting pressure on us
Now war supporters are also firing against Netanyahu
April 8, 2024, 2:33 p.m
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International pressure on Israel to facilitate a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is immense. The voices of those in favor of war are now becoming louder in the Israeli government. They are putting pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu not to pause the war. And they threaten consequences.
After the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south of the Gaza Strip, pressure from right-wing extremist coalition partners on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is growing. Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party wrote on Platform to continue to serve as head of government.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from the Religious Zionism party also called for the immediate assembly of the security cabinet in a statement, “against the background of reports of an end to the war.” He wrote an urgent letter to Netanyahu on the issue. Smotrich wrote that he was referring to “the situation in which ground forces are withdrawn from the Gaza Strip and the intensity of the war is generally reduced, while the start of the offensive in Rafah has been delayed for many weeks.”
There are also reports of Israel’s willingness to allow residents to return to the north of the Gaza Strip “and de facto bring about an end to the war.” The Israeli negotiating team also received “a very broad mandate” in the talks about a new ceasefire in the Gaza war.
Only the large cabinet is authorized to make such decisions, emphasized Smotrich. “Instead of taking our foot off the accelerator, we must increase the pressure on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. This is the only way to get the hostages back and destroy Hamas,” he wrote in the statement. According to observers, Netanyahu, who has been on trial for corruption for years, is dependent on his right-wing extremist coalition partners because his political survival depends on them.