A sharp confrontation erupted on Monday, during a meeting of the Religious Zionist Party in the Knesset, when Eyal Calderon, cousin of Ofer Calderon who was freed from captivity in Gaza, interrupted Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's remarks.
"This is the picture you tried to prevent – this is the absolute victory!" Calderon shouted at Smotrich, referring to the return of the hostages.
Smotrich immediately responded, saying, "The absolute victory is the destruction of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, and securing Israel's safety."
After security removed Calderon from the room, the Minister said that Calderon’s comments were "painful emotional manipulation" while stressing that the Israeli government cannot make security decisions based solely on emotion, but rather on broad strategic considerations.
Smotrich argued that despite public and media pressure, he remained firm in his opposition. "The most popular and easy thing for us would have been to join the chorus, connect to the natural human and Jewish emotion, and support the deal. We could have been the families' darlings and received warm media hugs if we had just followed the herd."
"But my responsibility as a leader and public servant is to the State of Israel, its future, and its security, and this compels me to oppose the abandonment of millions of Israeli citizens and Jews worldwide who will pay the heavy, terrible price of continuing the deal."
He added, "I am taking heat for my stand against the deal, including painful and harsh statements from the hostages' families and others. But I am firm in my opposition out of national responsibility."
"History will not forgive short-sighted and irresponsible politicians who for months have been colluding with Hamas' propaganda and trying to push Israel into surrender and defeat in this war. Politicians who seek to turn this war from a victory into 'another round' after which, God forbid, the next massacre, the next hostages, and the next round will follow, ad infinitum. We will not surrender to this dangerous populism in any way."