From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 18, 2023
Ben Gvir threatens to bolt coalition if war against Hamas doesn’t ‘continue at full strength’
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticizes the government’s handling of the war against Hamas, reiterating his demand that terrorists be executed and declaring he will not remain in the coalition if the military offensive doesn’t “continue at full strength.”
Asserting that Hamas is still undeterred after 73 days of war, Ben Gvir objects to the government’s decision to let aid into the Gaza Strip, telling reporters at a Knesset faction meeting of his far-right Otzma Yehudit party that “you don’t bring in 200 fuel trucks, you don’t transfer money to any official.”
“You don’t make pauses and don’t allow our enemies to set shocking conditions for the release the hostages,” he declares, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “go the way of Ben Gvir and not [National Unity Party leader Benny] Gantz.”
“Every day the hostages are not returned we should put another Nukbha [fighter] to death,” he says, referring to the elite Hamas forces who participated in the October 7 atrocities.
“They shoot rockets from the humanitarian evacuation areas, they shoot at our soldiers, and we continue with humanitarian measures and humanitarian gestures. The time for a decision has come.”
Ben Gvir previously threatened to bring down the government during last month’s temporary ceasefire, declaring that “Stopping the war = breaking apart the government.”
Despite Ben Gvir’s threat, Netanyahu’s ruling coalition would survive the defection of Otzma Yehudit, assuming the continued support of Minister Benny Gantz’s National Unity party, which joined the government amid the war in Gaza.
Ben Gvir has repeatedly advocated for Israel to execute Hamas terrorists, a policy opposed by families of the hostages, who warn that doing so would endanger their loved ones held in Gaza.
