Netanyahu:

Keep the government until war resumed

Netanyahu asked Ben-Gvir and Smotrich not to dismantle the government if a prisoner exchange deal is signed.

News ID: 84899

Date: 17 August 2024 - 14:07

TEHRAN (Defapress) - Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is engaged in political consultations to ensure that a potential prisoner exchange deal if reached, does not affect his government coalition, Israeli media reported.

According to the news website Makan, Netanyahu plans to send messages to the two ministers opposed to the deal: Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The letter is reportedly meant to request that they do not dismantle the government.

In other words, Netanyahu is requesting that Smotrich and Ben-Gvir avoid dissolving the government during the Knesset recess if the deal is signed. He has asked them to wait until after the 42-day war pause, which marks the end of the first phase of the deal, to resume the genocide in Gaza, before making their final decision about it.

The report also indicates that Aryeh Deri, leader of the Shas party, has returned to limited security consultations this week after being absent for several weeks. This return is seen, in Israeli media, as a sign that a deal may be nearing completion.

This revelation, Makan reported, highlights Netanyahu’s premeditated strategy to potentially undermine any ceasefire agreement after achieving the expected gains, aligning with accusations from his opponents that he prioritizes the survival of his government over other considerations.

On Friday, AFP reported, citing a Hamas source, that the movement will accept nothing less than a complete ceasefire, a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the return of displaced persons to their homes, and an unconditional prisoner exchange deal. The report also revealed that "the Israeli delegation has imposed new conditions to obstruct the deal."