Likud minister casts as ‘uninteresting’ far-right threats to topple the government

Education Minister Yoav Kisch of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party appears to dismiss out of hand frequent threats by a pair of far-right coalition parties to bring down the coalition.

Members of Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party and Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party have for months been periodically issuing public threats to topple the government over what they view as insufficiently tough action in the war against Hamas in Gaza, and excessive flexibility in talks for a hostage and ceasefire deal.

“I really don’t think that anyone is affected by these threats,” Kisch tells the Kan public broadcaster. “The remarks by Ben Gvir or [Religious Zionism MK Orit] Strock on the negotiations are uninteresting.”

He refuses to go into more detail on the matter, arguing that public discourse should avoid focusing on details of Israel’s negotiating positions in the talks.