Rothman: Decision to conquer Gaza City brings Religious Zionism closer to leaving government

Last week’s cabinet meeting, in which the government approved a plan to conquer Gaza City, has brought the Religious Zionism party closer to leaving the government, MK Simcha Rothman tells the Knesset Channel.

Asked why party leader Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has not already quit after announcing that he’d “lost faith” in the premier’s war strategy, Rothman replies that “it’s definitely on the table. It’s something that’s been said many times… that the moment we are convinced that they have dropped the goals of the war… we will no longer be a part of the government.”

Last week’s cabinet meeting brought Religious Zionism very close to such an eventuality, Rothman says, although nothing is certain yet.

“I suppose the coming hours and days will tell,” he says, demanding that the cabinet cancel its decision and “go all the way to the end to defeat Hamas.”

On Saturday night, Smotrich posted a video on X saying that in light of the Gaza City plan, he has “lost faith that the prime minister is able and wants to lead the IDF to a decisive victory.”

While his public message was strongly worded, Smotrich didn’t outright threaten to quit the government.

However, this morning, Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot wrote on X that if Israel decides “to abandon the war’s objectives,” then “we need to go to elections.”