Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich twice in recent days in an attempt to convince him to support the proposed hostage release-ceasefire deal, Walla News alleges.
According to the report, the two first discussed the issue on Saturday night in Jerusalem and then a second time on Sunday, during a larger meeting on the 2025 state budget.
Citing unnamed sources, Walla states that the two discussed the reasons for Smotrich’s opposition to a deal, and whether or not there were certain conditions under which the far-right minister could back such a deal.
Both Smotrich and his ultranationalist ally National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have threatened to resign from the government if Israel follows through with a deal that will halt fighting in Gaza and bring about the release of hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners.
Walla adds that neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor the Finance Ministry responded to a request for comment.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
