National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir gave a three-week deadline before his right-wing Otzma Yehudit Party halts participating in coalition votes unless a bill to impose the death penalty on terrorists is brought to the Knesset’s plenum for a vote.
Ben-Gvir made the remarks during a press conference marking the opening of the Knesset’s winter session on Monday, after its three-month recess.
He said that three years ago, ahead of the war, his party had made a coalition agreement with the Likud, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which stipulated that the bill to impose the death penalty on terrorists would be advanced.
“The commitment is written in black and white in the coalition agreements,” the national security minister said.
Ben-Gvir added that after the war began, he was told that advancing the law could potentially harm the hostages held in Hamas captivity.
However, he said, this was just “an excuse” and a “serious mistake.”
Ben-Gvir threatens coalition over terrorist death sentences
Passing the law during the war would have been “an important lever of pressure on Hamas,” Ben-Gvir said. “In any case, now the list of excuses is exhausted,” he continued, referring to the release of the renaming live captives from Gaza last week.
“I am therefore officially announcing that we demand the first law proposal to be advanced in the current Knesset session be ‘the death penalty for terrorists’ law,’” the national security minister said.
“If within three weeks, the law is not brought to a vote in the Knesset plenum, Otzma Yehudit will not be obligated to participate in coalition votes,” Ben-Gvir said.
“It is time for the Likud to honor this commitment, which is, above all, a pledge to the public who voted for a right-wing government,” he added.
Ben-Gvir’s statements come as the coalition and opposition are currently tied 60-60, due to the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties’ departure from the government in July in the fall out of negotiations over the controversial haredi conscription law.
As a result, Ben-Gvir’s party failing to participate in coalition votes arrives at a time when the prime minister already lacks a majority to pass any measure that requires legislation or approval in the Knesset.
In September, the Knesset National Security Committee approved sending the bill to the Knesset plenum for a first reading, before the hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas had been reached.
At the time, opponents of the bill said it could risk the chances of reaching a hostage deal.
Ben-Gvir said he believed the law would have the opposite effect and advance a hostage deal.
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, the coordinator for the hostages and the missing in the Prime Minister’s Office, voiced his objection to Ben-Gvir’s announcement.
Hirsch represents the stance of both the Prime Minister’s Office and the hostages’ families.
“I requested not to allow this conversation to take place,” the coordinator said, adding that he completely disagreed with the assessment that moving forward with the bill would help bring the remaining hostages back.
Ben-Gvir made the remarks during a press conference marking the opening of the Knesset’s winter session on Monday, after a three-month recess.
Ben-Gvir explained that three years ago, ahead of the war, his party had made a coalition agreement with the Likud Party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which stipulated that the bill to impose the death penalty on terrorists would be advanced.
“The commitment is written in black and white in the coalition agreements,” Ben-Gvir said.
Ben-Gvir explained that after the war began, he was told that advancing the law could potentially harm the hostages held in Hamas captivity.
Ben-Gvir threatens coalition over death penalty for terrorists
Ben-Gvir added that this was just “an excuse” and a “serious mistake,” expressing his belief that the passage of the law during the war would have been “an important lever of pressure on Hamas.”
“In any case, now the list of excuses is exhausted," Ben-Gvir said, referring to how all living hostages still held captive by the terror group were released from Hamas captivity last week.
“Therefore, I announce here officially that we demand the first law to be advanced in the current Knesset session be the death penalty for terrorists law,” he said.
"If within three weeks, the law is not brought to a vote in the Knesset plenum, Otzma Yehudit will not be obligated to participate in coalition votes," he said.
“It is time for Likud to honor this commitment, which is, above all, a pledge to the public that voted for the right-wing government,” he added.
Ben-Gvir’s statements come as the coalition and opposition are currently tied 60-60, due to the haredi parties' departure from the government in July in the fallout of negotiations over the controversial haredi conscription law.
As a result, Ben-Gvir’s party failing to participate in coalition votes comes at a time when the prime minister already lacks a majority to pass any measure that requires legislation or approval in the Knesset.
In September, the Knesset National Security Committee approved sending the bill for it to the Knesset plenum for a first reading, before the hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas had been reached.
At the time, opponents of the bill said it could harm the chances of reaching a hostage deal.
Ben-Gvir said he believed the bill would have the opposite effect and advance a hostage deal.
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, the Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing in the Prime Minister’s Office, voiced his objection to Ben-Gvir, who represented the stance of the Prime Minister’s Office and the hostages’ families.
“I requested not to allow this conversation to take place,” Hirsch said, adding that he completely disagreed with the assessment that going ahead with the bill would help return the hostages.