As Israeli Cabinet votes on ceasefire-hostage deal today, can Netanyahu's far-right ministers still kill it?

A day after Israel and Hamas reached a deal for the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and release of hostages held by terrorists, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces of challenge of getting the deal approved by his government in a two-step process.

Netanyahu will on Thursday first convene his security cabinet and then the full cabinet to hold a vote on the deal.

Netanyahu is facing a revolt from his far-right allies, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have threatened to topple his government if the deal is approved.

Both Ben Gvir and Smotrich have opposed the Israel-Hamas deal and have called for the continuation of the war in Gaza. Even as people across Israel, including the families of hostages, have been pressurising Netanyahu to strike a deal, far-right extremists have taken to streets in opposition to the deal . They say the deal is disastrous for Israel’s security.

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Can Netanyahu’s far-right ministers kill Israel-Hamas deal?

In theory, Netanyahu as the Prime Minister of Israel can himself approve the deal, but political convention dictates that such approvals come via the full government for the sake of proper legitimacy.

Firstly, Netanyahu would convene the Ministerial Committee on National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the Security Cabinet, to hold a vote on the deal. The committee —comparable to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in India— is a smaller group of senior ministers within the full Cabinet that decides the foreign and defence policies of the government.

After the Security Cabinet vote, Netanyahu would convene the full Cabinet to hold a vote on the deal.

As Netanyahu runs a coalition government and depends on far-right allies Ben Gvir and Smotrich, there are fears that the threat of withdrawal from the government could result in the collapse of the deal. However, the deal is set to pass comfortably through both the Security Cabinet and Cabinet.

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In the Security Cabinet, the far-right ministers only have two out of 11 votes. Similarly, in the full Cabinet, the far-right ministers have six out of 36 votes.

Even if far-right ministers vote against the deal, the deal is therefore set to be approved by the Cabinet. In addition to Netanyahu’s Likud parties, two ultra-orthodox parties in the coalition have also publicly supported the deal.

Can threat of government’s collapse derail deal?

Ben Gvir and Smotrich are hopeful that the threat of collapse of Netanyahu’s government from their withdrawal would derail the deal.

Smotrich has called the deal “bad and dangerous to Israel’s national security” and said he is completely against it.

Smotrich has said that the only way his party would remain in the government is that if the war is resumed after a brief ceasefire with renewed force, which is understood as an assault involving heavier bombs and missiles.

“Our continued presence in the government depends on absolute certainty of resuming the war with full force—on a broad scale and with a renewed strategy—until we achieve a decisive victory, including the complete destruction of Hamas and the safe return of all hostages to their homes,” said Smotrich.

Netanyahu has held meetings with both Ben Gvir and Smotrich and has offered them concessions. Then Kan News has reported that in lieu of staying in the government, Netanyahu has offered to allow the construction of more settlements in West Bank and increasing Israeli security presence there. The expansion of settlements in West Bank , deemed illegal in the international law, is dear to Israel’s far-right Jews.