Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Religious Zionism party, Bezalel Smotrich, issued a statement to the media on Tuesday afternoon, expressing his objection to the proposal for the current deal.
Smotrich said, “Accepting Hamas' deal is tantamount to surrender, is raising a white flag and agreeing to Yahya Sinwar’s plan for victory. He knew that the world would save him, and he would emerge from all of this as the victor."
"I am ready to pay a personal political price, but this is an existential danger to the State of Israel. It is a choice between victory and determination or defeat and humiliation, that will endanger our future."
At the end of his party’s meeting in the Knesset, Smotrich also said, "The consequences of the deal will be catastrophic. Just as I objected to the establishment of a government that relied on Hamas supporters, and was ready to pay a political price, I am now ready to pay a personal price. But this is an existential danger to Israel. It is either victory and determination or defeat and humiliation, that will endanger our future.”