Finance Minister and Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich responded today (Wednesday) to the report of the hostage deal being signed, calling it "bad" and "dangerous."
Smotrich said that "the deal that will be presented to the government is a bad and dangerous deal for the national security of the State of Israel. Alongside the joy and great excitement over the return of each and every hostage, the deal takes backwards many achievements of the war in which the heroes of this nation risked their lives, and will cost us much blood, God forbid. We strongly oppose it."
Regarding his party's response to the deal, Smotrich said that they would oppose it - but did not threaten to break up the coalition and bring down Prime Minister Netanyahu's government over it:
"We will not rest. The voice of our brothers' blood cries out to us. A clear condition for our remaining in the government is absolute certainty of returning to war with great force, at full scope, and in a new formation until complete victory in all its components, primarily the destruction of the Hamas terrorist organization and the return of all hostages to their homes."
He ended the statement by noting that it was ultimately up to Prime Minister Netanyahu to provide the needed assurances to keep his party in the coalition: "In the last two days, the Prime Minister and I have been holding feverish discussions on the matter. He knows what the detailed demands of Religious Zionism are, and the ball is in his court."
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has already threatened the stability of the Netanyahu coalition over the deal, which he also strongly opposes, however he conceded that without the support of Smotrich and his Religious Zionism faction, such an effort would fail.
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