Eight Members of Knesset from the ruling Likud party warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that was published on Sunday not to make what they deemed unacceptable concessions to Hamas as part of a hostage deal.
The MKs explained in the warning letter that they intentionally issued it ahead of Netanyahu’s trip to the US this week, in order to counter pressure from “military, political, and international entities” to make concessions, and even hinted that there would be political repercussions if the prime minister decided to move forward with the deal regardless.The letter was initiated by MK Amit Halevi, and the other signatories were Hanoch Milvitsky, Dan Illouz, Moshe Saada, Ariel Kallner, Shalom Danino, Tali Gotliv, and Nissim Vaturi.
'Bringing captives home is a top moral priority'
“Our commitment to bringing our captives home is a top moral priority,” the letter read. “Therefore, we must significantly intensify offensive operations and military control throughout the Gaza Strip. The only effective way to secure the return of our captives is through the military defeat of Hamas, compelling them to release the captives as part of a ceasefire agreement, similar to what occurred in the first deal.”
“Under the current circumstances, any agreement that does not include the return of all captives, without phasing, condemns the remaining captives to a death sentence. Therefore, any agreement that does not ensure the full return of all captives is unacceptable,” the MKs wrote.
“Any agreement that includes the withdrawal of our forces from their current positions in the Gaza Strip is a complete defeat. It will inevitably lead to the restoration of the enemy’s military and governance capabilities and their return to offensive positions against the residents of the Gaza border area and across the entire country.”“Any agreement that allows the enemy to return to northern Gaza effectively ends the war. It will lead to the resumption of rocket fire on Sderot and the border area, nullifying the gains achieved with the blood of our soldiers. To eliminate the threat that will reemerge, we will have to restart the war from scratch,” the MKs continued.“Finally, any agreement that alters Israel’s full and absolute control over the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphi Route – from Kerem Shalom to the sea – by IDF forces will inevitably lead to the next massacre. The Chief of Staff’s proposal, suggesting that international entities and technological means can substitute for Israeli military control, is absurd and shows that the most basic lessons from October 7 have not been learned by the senior command of the IDF,” they wrote.
According to the MKs, “A vast majority of the Israeli public supports you in adhering to these principles, making them clear to the US administration and the entire world. If we do not act accordingly, we may face thousands of captives and casualties in future terrorist attacks by our enemies in Gaza and other sectors, who are watching our actions and responses."
“These principles are clear boundaries and red lines for our coalition, which was elected to safeguard Israel’s identity and security. We cannot cross them,” the MKs concluded.While the letter did not include a clear threat to quit the coalition if the deal passes without their demands being accepted, the letter marked a significant political hurdle from within the coalition, as the eight Likud MKs who oppose the deal plus the 14 MKs from the Religious Zionist Party, Otzma Yehudit, and Noam, now make up over a third of the coalition.In order for the deal to pass, the coalition will thus need to lean heavily on the opposition for support, which opposition leader MK Yair Lapid has promised to provide.