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Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ben-Gvir: I want the hostages home, releasing only half would mean raising a white flag
'A partial deal is the wrong thing to do,' he said. 'My stance on deals is very well known. We can bring them to their knees and cut off their oxygen.' National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fully aware of his "political red lines" and the consequences of crossing them during an interview with 103FM on Thursday. Ben-Gvir emphasized that while others threaten to leave the government over policy disagreements, he is the only one who has actually done so. 'I don't speak in threats about whether to topple the government or not. I don't speak to the prime minister with threats,' he said. 'The public knows that if my red line is crossed, unlike others, I follow through. I'm the only one who left the government. I don't just make threats and then stay. The prime minister knows what my red line is, and he knows when he crosses it.' His remarks came as coalition leaders continued internal discussions over a proposed deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip, based on what has been referred to as the "Witkoff framework." Ben-Gvir reiterated his strong opposition to the deal, warning that any partial arrangement would embolden Hamas and weaken Israel's negotiating position. 'A partial deal is the wrong thing to do,' he said. 'My stance on deals is very well known. We must keep pounding them. We can bring them to their knees and cut off their oxygen.' Although he refused to say directly whether he would resign from the government if such a deal is approved, the minister stressed that his party, Otzma Yehudit, has stood firm in its principles. Addressing criticisms that say that he is indifferent to the hostages' fate, Ben-Gvir said, 'I want the hostages back just as much as you do. But this way [with the Witkoff outline], we get half and push the release of the other half even further away. Releasing the second half would mean raising a white flag. It would be a historic mistake.' He also condemned the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, saying it strengthens Hamas and undermines the war effort. 'We're giving humanitarian aid to areas where Hamas is present and opening bakeries across Gaza,' he said. 'A normal country that wants to survive doesn't give aid to its enemies. When they're full, they know how to fight. When Hamas is hungry, they don't.' Ben-Gvir dismissed reports that the International Criminal Court may issue an arrest warrant against him, as well as against Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, as part of its investigation into actions taken during the Gaza war. 'There are parts of the world where we'll never look good,' he said. 'The prime minister told me: 'They'll issue an arrest warrant against you if you keep talking like this.' In the end, they issued one against him.' He added that he does not travel abroad and is unfazed by potential international sanctions. 'I take my vacations in Tiberias and Eilat. They don't scare me. They want to impose sanctions on us because there are antisemites who don't like us, and I'm not intimidated by them.' On the haredi conscription bill, Ben-Gvir said a compromise could include drafting young ultra-Orthodox men not studying in yeshiva into police units. 'I'm not a populist, I prefer to take action,' he said. 'I established a haredi Border Police unit, and I've asked for more. I believe there are solutions. I've told Minister Goldknopf that I can draft your boys who aren't studying into the police.' Ben-Gvir also addressed the dispute over the appointment of David Zini as head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), placing blame on Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara. 'She ultimately wants to appoint, decide, and control,' he said. 'The prime minister should appoint him definitively, and despite her decision.'
Khaberni
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Khaberni
Olmert: Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are terrorists
Khaberni - Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, on Thursday, described the National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as "terrorists," holding them responsible for the deterioration of the situation in Israel both internally and externally. Olmert said in statements to the Israeli "103 FM" radio that "the policy led by the terrorists Ben-Gvir and Smotrich is causing a disaster for Israel, and will lead to its isolation and rejection by the entire world." In response to a direct question about his description of them as "terrorists," he replied: "Yes, certainly, terrorists." Olmert harshly criticized the continuation of the war on the Gaza Strip, saying: "This is a war without purpose and without any hope for success, but rather deception and arrogant boasting with no basis." Olmert called for "putting an end to the government's overreach and arrogance," emphasizing that Israel is drifting towards the abyss under the leadership of an "extremist and fascist" government, according to his expression. These statements come at a time when criticisms are escalating both inside and outside of Israel against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, amidst the ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip which has left more than 175,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, mostly children and women, in addition to thousands missing and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Jordan News
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Jordan News
Lapid: Netanyahu Doesn't Want to Pay the Political Price to End the War in Gaza - Jordan News
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the government on Wednesday, accusing it of not making enough efforts to bring back Israeli prisoners held by Hamas in Gaza. He attributed this to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reluctance to "pay the political price" to end the war in the Gaza Strip. اضافة اعلان In an interview with local radio (103 FM), Lapid said, "The Israeli government does not want to do anything and is not using all its strength or capabilities" to retrieve the prisoners held in Gaza. He pointed to the political cost of ending the war, stating: "There is a political price for ending the war, and Benjamin Netanyahu does not want to pay it." With U.S. support, Israel has been committing what is seen as a genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in over 160,000 Palestinian casualties, most of whom are women and children, along with more than 14,000 missing. Lapid continued his criticism, saying: "The Israeli government is not using all its capabilities and is not leaving any stone unturned to bring back the detainees." By March 1, 2025, the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and supported by the United States, ended, beginning on January 19 of the same year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since avoided starting the second phase of the agreement, as he seeks the release of more Israeli prisoners without fulfilling the phase's commitments, particularly ending the genocide and fully withdrawing from Gaza. Tel Aviv estimates there are 59 Israeli prisoners in Gaza, 24 of whom are alive, while more than 9,500 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, where they suffer from torture, starvation, and medical neglect, leading to the deaths of many, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports. Hamas insists on starting the second phase of the agreement, calling Israel's decision to halt the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza since March 8 a "cheap extortion, a war crime, and a blatant violation of the agreement." On another front, Lapid condemned the religious Jews ("Haredim") for evading military service, saying the government grants them "exemptions at the expense of our children, and there is no justification for evasion." The issue of recruiting religious Jews has sparked wide controversy in Israel, with non-religious political parties supporting it, while religious parties, which are part of the government, oppose it, claiming that "the task of the religious is to study the Torah." In June of the previous year, Israel's Supreme Court required the government to recruit everyone, including the religious, but the government is attempting to pass a law that allows exceptions for religious individuals, sparking outrage among opposition parties, who have dubbed the law the "Evasion Law." The Haredim make up about 13% of Israel's population, which is approximately 10 million people. They refuse military service, arguing that they devote their lives to Torah study, and believe that integration into the secular world threatens their religious identity and the continuity of their community. -(Anadolu)
