
Significant progress was made last night (Friday) in talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on the issue of the "Religious Zionism" party remaining in the government after the approval of the hostage deal.
During the talks, the parties reached understandings on the conditions set by Minister Smotrich on the resumption of combat in the Gaza Strip and the issue of control over humanitarian aid.
The Minister's main demands were accepted and during the talks, Smotrich emphasized to the Prime Minister his firm position: "Without a full return to war, we will be forced to resign from the government."
The full details of the agreements with Smotrich have not yet been published, but government sources note that this is a significant breakthrough, which could secure the stability of the coalition after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened to resign from the government if the hostage deal is approved.
On Wednesday night, after the hostage deal was announced, Smotrich condemned the deal and stressed that his party would only remain in the government if Israel would fully return to the fighting after the deal concludes. "A clear condition for us to remain in the government is full certainty on the return to the war with great force, in full scale, and a new configuration, until total victory on all its components, first and foremost, the destruction of the Hamas terror organization and the return of all hostages."
Smotrich added that he is conducting intensive discussions on the issue with the Prime Minister. "Over the past two days, the Prime Minister and I have been conducting feverish discussions on the matter. He knows what the Religious Zionist Party's demands are, and the ball is in his court