The Likud party issued a statement Thursday evening against National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, in which it stated, that the "existing deal allows Israel to return to fighting under American guarantee" - the first time any official has addressed this, after a series of references attributed to a "political figure."
The party's statement against the minister, who threatened to leave the government coalition - at least temporarily - over the cease-fire and hostage release deal, also claimed that "anyone who dismantles a right-wing government will be remembered as a global disgrace."
The statement then details the reasons why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the deal, including that it allows Israel to "receive the weapons and means of warfare it needs, maximize the number of live hostages released, maintain full control of the Philadelphi Corridor and the security buffer that surrounds the entire Gaza Strip, and achieve dramatic security achievements that will ensure Israel's security for generations."
Otzma Yehudit responded to Likud in a statement. "We expect our friends in the Likud to express appreciation for the ideological step of Otzma Yehudit, which stood by its values against the reckless deal, which endangers Israel's security, undermines the achievements of the war, and constitutes a complete victory for Hamas," the party said in a statement that also was posted on social media.
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Netanyahu's Likud Party defends the deal, claims government has American 'guarantee' it can return to fighting
(Photo: Amos Ben Gershon, GPO)
"This deal is a violation of all of the prime minister's public commitments to his partners and the Israeli public. It includes stopping the war, leaving the Philadelphia Corridor, abandoning the Netzarim Corridor, returning the terrorists to the northern Gaza Strip without inspection, and releasing hundreds of murderers with Jewish blood on their hands," the statement continued.
"As we said, we will continue to support the coalition and will not allow the left to overthrow the Prime Minister, but we will not sit in a government that makes such immoral agreements. We will remind the Likud that, even before October 7, the Otzma Yehudit faction came out against the 'Gaza conception policy'" (of appeasing Hamas). "Unfortunately, we were right then, we were right in many other cases, and I hope we are wrong this time."
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The agreement stipulates that in phase two of the deal, which would take place after 50 days, Israel will make a full withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor. The agreement also stipulates that the temporary cease-fire will continue as long as negotiations on the second phase continue, which will begin on the 16th day of the first phase - and the mediators are committed to working within its framework to continue the negotiations. This clause calls into question the continued presence in Philadelphi if the negotiations on the second phase drag on beyond the first phase, and the U.S. under Trump may force Israel to continue participating in the talks.
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Will a newly inaugurated Donald Trump give Israel a blank check to operate in Gaza
(Photo: Scott Olson / Getty Images North America, AFP)
The big question is whether incoming President Donald Trump, who has put a lot of pressure on Hamas and Netanyahu in recent weeks in an attempt to reach a deal, will actually allow Israel to quickly return to fighting after the first phase. According to sources in Israel, Netanyahu has reached an understanding with the Trump administration that he will back Israel if it decides to return to fighting if Hamas violates the agreement. The problem is that it is not at all certain that in real time the president-elect will give Israel the green light to return to fighting the terrorist organization, after promising in his victory speech that he "ends wars, not starts them."
In a post he published Wednesday night on his social network Truth Social, Trump also signaled that he was moving toward a complete end to the war. He promised to work with Israel and U.S. allies to ensure that Gaza "NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven," and he also promised to expand the Abraham Accords, which he led at the end of his previous term, under which Israel signed a normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
"We will continue promoting PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH throughout the region, as we build upon the momentum of this ceasefire to further expand the Historic Abraham Accords. This is only the beginning of great things to come for America, and indeed, the World!" he wrote.