The leaders of two far-right Israeli political parties are threatening to wreck Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition if he moves forward with a peace plan endorsed by U.S. President Joe Biden.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionism party said he told Netanyahu that he "will not be part of a government that agrees to the proposed outline and ends the war without destroying Hamas and bringing back all the hostages," the Times of Israel reported Sunday.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Jewish Power party also said he would "dismantle the government" if Netanyahu abandoned his repeated vow to eliminate Hamas over the Oct. 7 surprise attack against Israel that sparked the latest war.
"This is a reckless deal that would be a victory for terrorism and a security risk for the State of Israel," Ben-Gvir said.
Smotrich and Ben-Gvir control 14 of the 64 parliamentary seats that comprise the coalition that put Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, in power for a third time following Israel's 2022 elections.
On Friday, Biden outlined a three-phase deal he said was proposed by Israel and would provide a "road map to an enduring cease-fire and the release of all hostages" kidnapped by Hamas.
Biden also said Israel's devastating attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7 meant that Hamas was "no longer capable" of carrying out another large-scale assault.
"And as long as Hamas lives up to its commitments, the temporary cease-fire would become, in the words of the Israeli proposal, 'the cessation of hostilities permanently,'" he said.
Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid reiterated an offer to support Netanyahu if the peace plan threatens his government and said Israel "must do this deal now" before the hostages in Gaza die, the Times of Israel said.
But the potential backing of Lapid's There is a Future party won't extend to cover other issues, the Times of Israel said.
