Smotrich says decision not to quit government comes from sense of ‘national responsibility’

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich defends his decision not to leave the government and topple the coalition, arguing that he was acting out of a sense of duty to the country.

“So why didn’t I resign from the government? Because I have a national responsibility for victory and security, and I am willing to pay a price for it,” Smotrich writes in a lengthy post on Facebook following fellow far-right Otzma Yehudit party’s exit.

“Because I don’t run away from the battlefield in the middle of the war even after a crushing loss in one of its battles,” he declares, insisting that “it was impossible to stop the deal. Not even by threatening to overthrow the government.”

“The greatest strategic damage” of the ceasefire lies in the message it sends “that kidnapping Israelis brings the State of Israel to its knees,” Smotrich continues, asserting that “the only way to repair this damage and turn the deal into a tactical loss in battle rather than a strategic defeat in the war is to return to fighting until Hamas is destroyed.”

“The overthrow of the government would inevitably lead to a halt to the war. The left would have given Netanyahu a safety net for a few months and only in return for a commitment to continue the additional stages of the deal and end the war without destroying Hamas and overthrowing its rule in Gaza.

“Our remaining in the government on the condition of continuing to strive for victory gives us a great chance of succeeding in this,” he says. “That is why I am staying in the government.”

In addition to bringing about “an immediate cessation of the war,” overthrowing the government would only “lead to elections after which, in the best-case scenario, we will have a government similar to the current one headed by Netanyahu, and in the worst-case scenario, a left-wing government with supporters of terrorism and enemies of Israel,” he states.