Some in Netanyahu’s government pressure him to reject longer ceasefire

TEL AVIV, Israel - As international pressure grows to extend a temporary cease-fire with Hamas, some right-wing members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government are threatening to bring it down if he does not resume fighting in the Gaza Strip.

The far-right national security minister, Mr Itamar Ben-Gvir, said on Nov 29 that if Israel did not continue its war with Hamas, his political faction would leave the government coalition.

“Stopping the war = breaking apart the government,” said Mr Ben-Gvir, in a written statement.

While Mr Ben-Gvir’s departure alone would not topple the government, it would give Mr Netanyahu a very slim majority to keep his hold on power.

In a statement released after Mr Ben-Gvir’s, Mr Netanyahu insisted that the war would continue.

“There is no situation in which we do not go back to fighting until the end,” the prime minister said. “This is my policy. The entire Security Cabinet is behind it. The entire Government is behind it. The soldiers are behind it. The people are behind it – this is exactly what we will do.”

On Nov 27,

Israel and Hamas agreed to prolong their cease-fire

to six days from four, under a deal that would see the ongoing exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages, and mediators are trying to hammer out another extension. The longer pause was largely cheered by the Israeli public, which has been watching round-the-clock news coverage documenting the return of Israeli civilians who were kidnapped from their homes Oct 7.

But far-right members of Mr Netanyahu’s government have been critical of the cease-fire, arguing that Israel should continue its military assault on Gaza. Mr Ben-Gvir, who went from being a fringe figure in the Israeli settler movement to his current role in Mr Netanyahu’s government, has been especially vocal, at times calling for Israel to “eliminate” anyone who supports Hamas.

Mr Netanyahu can ill afford to alienate Mr Ben-Gvir, who is part of a right-wing coalition of parties who give the prime minister a slim majority in the parliament. If he fails to hold a majority of the 120 seats, he would need to try to form a new coalition or face another national election.

Two members of Mr Netanyahu’s staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to reporters, said the Israeli prime minister wanted to avoid elections at any cost.

Mr Netanyahu’s approval ratings have steadily declined

since the Oct 7 attacks on Israel. In a poll conducted by Israel’s Bar-Ilan University earlier in November, trust in Mr Netanyahu was at 4 per cent. In another poll, conducted by the Israeli Maariv newspaper last week, 57 per cent of Israelis said they would vote for Mr Benny Gantz, a moderate member of Mr Netanyahu’s war Cabinet, for prime minister, over the 27 per cent who said they would vote for Mr Netanyahu.

Mr Netanyahu has also been conducting his own polling, said the two staff members, and felt he would not fare well in a national election if it were held in the coming months. NYTIMES