Hardline Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, along with two other ministers from his nationalist-religious Otzma Yehudit party, resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet on Sunday in protest over the recently agreed-upon ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza.
While the party has withdrawn from the ruling coalition, it has clarified that it will not seek to destabilize Netanyahu’s government.
The Jewish Power party, led by Ben Gvir, announced that its Cabinet ministers had resigned in opposition to the deal. While the departure of the party does not threaten the stability of the coalition or the ceasefire, it does create additional instability within Netanyahu’s government.
In a statement, the party condemned the ceasefire deal as a “capitulation to Hamas” and criticized the “release of hundreds of murderers” and the perceived undermining of the Israeli military’s efforts in Gaza. Despite the resignations, the party clarified that it would not attempt to bring down Netanyahu’s government.
Earlier in the week, Ben Gvir had warned that his party would withdraw from the coalition if the ceasefire agreement with Hamas was approved by the cabinet.
(With Reuters Inputs)