Facing opposition from some of his allies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed a planned Cabinet meeting to approve a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.
Netanyahu said in a statement that Hamas was reneging on parts of the deal announced Wednesday and confirmed by outgoing President Joe Biden, incoming President Donald Trump and a range of other officials. Hamas denied the allegation.
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The delay exacerbates trauma for families of the 98 hostages who hope that some of them will be released in the coming days, and heightens apprehension in a country on the brink of a breakthrough in a national crisis that has simmered since the hostages were taken on Oct. 7, 2023.
The delay comes as Netanyahu faces fierce opposition from right-wing Israelis over the deal, including key members of his governing coalition. While a majority of Israelis support a deal that would bring the hostages home, even at the cost of releasing hundreds of Palestinians convicted of terrorism from Israeli prisons, some on the right believe any agreement that leaves Hamas intact falls short of a goal of “total victory,” which Netanyahu has long pledged.
Crucially, Bezalel Smotrich, head of the far-right Religious Zionism party, announced on Wednesday that his party opposed the ceasefire agreement, which would start with a six-week pause during which a second, permanent phase would be negotiated, ahead of a third phase when Gaza’s reconstruction would begin. Calling the terms set to be presented for a vote a “bad and dangerous deal for the national security of the State of Israel,” he and his party said he had demanded a commitment from Netanyahu that Israel would resume fighting after the first six weeks, which would preclude the agreement’s later stages.
The party has reportedly not yet decided whether it would exit Netanyahu’s coalition. If it does, it would likely trigger the government’s collapse if the deal comes to a vote.
Although a majority of Israel’s parliament supports the deal, the other far-right faction in Netanyahu’s governing coalition, Otzma Yehudit, also opposes it. Without the support of either far-right party, Netanyahu’s coalition would not have a parliamentary majority.
Netanyahu has not issued a statement saying that a deal had been reached. On Wednesday, as U.S. President Joe Biden and Trump each said a deal had been achieved, Netanyahu’s office said he had spoken with both men and thanked them for their “assistance in advancing the release of the hostages.”
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