A rift within Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition is emerging as a flashpoint in efforts to end the war in Gaza, threatening to derail a US push to reshape the political landscape of the Middle East.
Under pressure from US President Donald Trump to end the two-year-old war, Netanyahu is facing a backlash from ultra-nationalist allies whose opposition to the US president’s Gaza proposal could force the Israeli leader into early elections.
Netanyahu has embraced Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war, which calls for Gaza’s demilitarisation and rules out any future governing role for Hamas, though it allows its members to remain if they renounce violence and surrender their weapons.
Hamas also responded positively, partially accepting Trump’s plan, saying it was ready to negotiate the hostages’ release and would be part of a “Palestinian national framework” as Gaza’s future is addressed.
But the idea that Hamas could continue to exist, let alone be in a position to continue discussing the Gaza plan after hostages are released, enraged Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition partners.
“We cannot agree under any circumstances to a scenario in which the terrorist organisation that brought the greatest calamity upon the State of Israel is revived,” said national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
“We will in no way be partners to that,” he said in a post on X after the sabbath, threatening to quit the government.
If far-right ministers believe Netanyahu has made too many concessions to end the war, his ruling coalition, which is the most right-wing government in Israel’s history, could collapse a full year before the next election, which must be held by October 2026.
However, insisting on more war in Gaza would antagonise the families of hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza, and could further alienate a war-weary Israeli public and Israel’s international allies.
Continued conflict could also extinguish Israeli hopes that more Arab and Muslim states such as Saudi Arabia or Indonesia could join the Abraham Accords, a set of US-backed agreements that normalised relations between Israel and several Arab states.
Expanding the Accords has been a priority for Trump as his administration pursues its own interests in the Middle East, but Riyadh has made it clear it will not normalise with Israel until the Gaza war ends and there is a path to Palestinian statehood.
Trump has called for Israel to stop bombing Gaza for talks on his plan to play out, starting with indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Egypt on Monday for the release of all remaining hostages.
However, on Saturday finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said pausing attacks in Gaza was a “grave mistake”. He said over time this would erode Israel’s position as it pursues its aims of freeing the hostages, eliminating Hamas and carrying out the demilitarisation of Gaza.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, whose parties hold 13 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, have long pushed Netanyahu to pursue sweeping, seemingly unattainable goals in Gaza. If the two were to leave the government, it would likely trigger an election.
Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters on Sunday the military had stopped what she said was some bombings but there was no ceasefire in place.
The military would continue to act for “defensive purposes”, she said. Despite Trump’s call to halt the bombing, Israeli strikes on Gaza over the weekend killed dozens of Palestinians.
Netanyahu has framed the plan as a joint effort that advances the government’s goals, which include Hamas’ surrender and Israeli security control in Gaza and its perimeter.
However, Trump’s plan lacks details, including any sort of time frame for Hamas to disarm. A vague reference to Palestinian statehood is also likely to infuriate Netanyahu’s far-right allies.
Israeli pollster Mitchell Barak, who worked for Netanyahu in the 1990s, said he believed the government was nearing its end, though he did not expect an immediate collapse given the opposition supports the Trump plan while Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have few options other than staying aligned with Netanyahu.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid has offered to lend the government support to prevent it from collapsing to see through Trump’s plan. Lapid on Sunday said Netanyahu could agree to an election date, offering “insurance” from what he called the prime minister’s “extremist and irresponsible partners”.
Reuters
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