Netanyahu faces possible backlash within Likud over Lebanon ceasefire

Israel is snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, according to these opponents of a ceasefire agreement now with Hezbollah.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

While the Lebanese foreign minister said Tuesday that he hopes an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal will be agreed upon by nightfall, there are loud voices in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s own party who are throwing cold water on the idea of stopping the fight now against the Iranian terror proxy.

Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli stated, “The series of strikes on Hezbollah’s top brass and the ground moves have brought tremendous operational achievements. Under no circumstances should they be sold in exchange for quiet…. We have already learned firsthand what the interest rates are for buying quiet in the Middle Eastern bazaar.”

Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter announced on X Monday night without going into details that “If the agreement with Lebanon is a ‘copy-paste’ of Resolution 1701 — I won’t support it.” He then said he would decide on his stance after hearing the details of the planned deal, which is supposed to be presented to the political-security cabinet towards evening Tuesday.

Several Likud backbenchers have expressed firm opposition to signing an agreement before Hezbollah suffers a much more serious, if not fatal, blow.

Calling it a “return to the approach of October 6,” MK Moshe Saada posted that, “Instead of reaching an overwhelming victory deal thanks to the achievements of the last few month…the State of Israel is the one deterred.”

“We do not have a mandate to keep the rocket threat alive and kicking,” he continued, “and we do not have a moral mandate to ask the residents of the north to return to their homes, when it’s clear to everyone that a large part of the Lebanese residents who will be allowed to return to their villages are actually terrorists who are just waiting for another chance.”

He pleaded with Netanyahu to instead “listen to the council heads, the residents of the north, and the majority of the country’s people who demand [Hezbollah’s] surrender and submission and not our capitulation.”

MK Dan Illouz agreed, writing on X, “Israel is seemingly choosing to retreat instead of leveraging tactical achievements into strategic ones.”

The proposed deal states that the Lebanese Army will take the IDF’s place in southern Lebanon within 60 days, yet, he pointed out, “This army is controlled by a government in which Hezbollah is a key component.”

He noted with contempt the recourses Israel has if Hezbollah returns to the south and rearms.

The international oversight body to be established will be “an empty vessel,” he said. “As if anyone in the world will lift a finger as a result of an [Israeli] complaint.”

An American letter of commitment stating that Israel will have freedom of action to actively deter Hezbollah if it breaks the agreement will be useless as well, he added, as previous presidents’ written promises to Israeli leaders were not honored by their successors.

If this deal is signed, he ended, “Hezbollah is still on its feet, ready to rebuild its strength [and] the next round is just a matter of time.”

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz talked tough upon meeting with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert Tuesday.

He demanded “effective enforcement from UNIFIL” of any agreement but also warned, “What was will no longer be. We will act against every threat, anytime and anywhere. Any house in southern Lebanon that is rebuilt and established as a terrorist base will be destroyed. Every rearmament and terrorist regrouping will be struck, every attempt to smuggle weapons will be thwarted and any threat to our forces or to Israeli citizens will be destroyed immediately.”

According to Channel 12’s Amit Segal, the deal is purposefully being brought to a vote only in the political-security cabinet, and not to the larger Cabinet as representing the government as a whole, or the Knesset, the people’s representatives, where the opposition is greater. The excuse given for doing this, he said in a post on Telegram, is that the deal is only a ceasefire agreement and not a political one.

Amichai Chikliceasefire dealDan IllouzHezbollah ceasefireLikud