Former Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately delaying the second phase of ceasefire negotiations with Hamas to maintain the support of far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The initial 42-day truce, which facilitated prisoner-for-hostage exchanges, ended on March 2.
The second phase, intended to secure a permanent ceasefire, the release of all remaining Israeli captives, and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, has yet to commence.
In a statement, Ya’alon claimed Netanyahu is obstructing the agreement to prevent Smotrich from dismantling the governing coalition, which is crucial for the prime minister’s political survival.
Smotrich would rather see “resuming military operations in Gaza over proceeding with negotiations, even if it means abandoning Israeli captives,” Ya’alon said, warning that the finance minister is using coalition threats to push Netanyahu away from further talks.
According to the former minister, US officials are growing increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu’s tactics and have begun direct negotiations with Hamas to secure the release of hostages with American citizenship.
“The Americans are now working on securing the release of hostages with US citizenship,” Ya’alon stated, suggesting that Washington is bypassing Israeli leadership to advance the process.
He also called for Netanyahu’s removal, labelling his government corrupt and holding it responsible for prolonging the hostage crisis.
