Ben-Gvir: I want the hostages home, releasing only half would mean raising a white flag

Yahoo

29-05-2025

'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.'