Ben Gvir calls Netanyahu’s ceasefire proposal a ‘historic mistake’

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The opposition joins the criticism of the agreement and asks to focus efforts on the release of the hostages in Gaza

26 (EUROPA PRESS)

The Minister of National Security of Israel, the ultranationalist Itamar Ben Gvir, conveyed this Tuesday his rejection of the ceasefire proposal announced by his Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and has warned that this plan for the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon with the Shiite militia party Hezbollah is a “historical mistake.”

Although the Israeli Prime Minister has not gone into detail about what the ceasefire would consist of, nor has he specified its duration period, Ben Gvir has quickly come forward to express his disagreement with the initiative, since “it does not comply with the objective of the war” of achieving the return of civilians to the north of the country.

In a publication on his official profile on social networks, Minister Ben Gvir has rejected the possibility of trusting the Lebanese Armed Forces as a guarantor of security in the south of the country, since it is an Army that “has no authority, and much less ability to defeat Hezbollah.

“To leave Lebanon, we must have our own safety belt. We have already seen, that we must not trust anyone but ourselves. Otherwise, missiles will be launched against (…) the entire north and all the State of Israel, and finally we will have to return to Lebanon again,” stressed the controversial minister, noted for his racist and xenophobic positions.

THE OPPOSITION INSISTS ON THE RELEASE OF HOSTAGES IN GAZA

Netanyahu’s initiative has also not been well received among the main opposition leaders, such as former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who has lamented that the Executive has been “dragged” into having to agree an agreement with Hezbollah after more than a year. of war, while there are still more than a hundred hostages kidnapped by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“Meanwhile, the communities in the north were destroyed, the lives of the residents were destroyed,” said Lapid, who acknowledged that the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah was an “operational success worthy of praise,” but that Netanyahu’s government has not been able to turn it into “a diplomatic victory.”

“Under the leadership of Netanayhu, the greatest disaster in our history occurred. No agreement with Hezbollah will erase the abandonments. NO statement to the press will change history,” added Lapid, who has classified Netanyahu’s Executive as “the government of September 7.” October”. Thus, he has stressed the need for a ceasefire with Hamas and the release of the hostages.

The leader of the Democrats, Yair Golan, has stated along the same lines, who has asserted that if the Government is able to reach a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon with Hezbollah, it should also be able to draw up an agreement with Hamas for the cessation of hostilities. hostilities and the release of the hundred kidnapped in Gaza.

“101 hostages are waiting for us to save them, but this Government is sending soldiers to war to save itself,” added Golan, who has demanded that Netanyahu “immediately” remove the yellow ribbon from the lapel of his jacket, a symbol in memory of the hostages in Hamas custody.

On the other hand, the leader of Yisrael Beytenu, Avigdor Liberman, has joined the criticism of the prime minister. “Netanyahu said ‘until complete victory’, but he did not say the victory of which side,” he reproached on his social media profile.

Netanyahu has previously confirmed a ceasefire proposal in Lebanon for the cessation of hostilities with Hezbollah so that the Israeli Army can focus on the threat posed by Iran, a state sponsor not only of Hezbollah, but of Hamas and other Islamist groups. regional attacks on Israel since the Palestinian militia attacks on October 7, 2023.

The Israeli Army’s attacks against Lebanon leave a toll of at least 3,800 dead and 15,800 injured. The spike in hostilities in Beirut and southern Lebanon are part of the clashes that began more than a year ago after Hezbollah attacked Israel a day after the offensive of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on October 7, 2023.

On October 1, the Israeli Army unleashed a new invasion of Lebanon after weeks of intense bombings and attacks against the country, including the coordinated explosion of thousands of beepers and walkie-talkies linked to Hezbollah. The attacks on Lebanon have decimated Hezbollah, which has lost its historic leader, Hasan Nasrallah.