Israel’s Ben-Gvir halts support for Netanyahu’s coalition over Gaza cease-fire proposal

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) – The party of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Wednesday it will not back the ruling coalition in the Knesset (parliament) until Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reveals the details of a Gaza cease-fire proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden.

"As long as the prime minister continues to hide the details of the deal, Otzma Yehudit will disrupt his coalition," Ben-Gvir wrote on his X account.

On Friday, Biden said Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange, and reconstruction of Gaza.

Netanyahu, however, said Monday that he was “not ready to stop" the war on Gaza, claiming that Biden's remarks about the cease-fire proposal were “inaccurate.”

His coalition partners, Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have threatened to topple the government if Netanyahu agrees to Biden’s cease-fire plan.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 36,600 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 83,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar