Religious Zionism MK says Smotrich’s party will remain in government if Hamas disarmed, doesn’t rule Gaza

Last week, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the Trump plan a “resounding diplomatic failure.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Religious Zionism lawmaker Moshe Solomon said his party will remain in Israel’s governing coalition only if the ceasefire deal with Hamas advances to its second stage and ensures that Hamas cannot rearm or resume control over Gaza.

His remarks come amid speculation that the far-right faction might quit the coalition over the US-brokered agreement.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized the US-led plan to end the war in Gaza last Tuesday, calling it a “resounding diplomatic failure,” but he stopped short of declaring that his Religious Zionism party would quit the coalition over the agreement.

Smotrich argued the agreement was a “historic missed opportunity to finally break free from the shackles of Oslo” and expressed hope that Hamas’s refusal would derail the initiative.

Still, he said his party would “consult, consider, and decide” whether to act.

“The agreement that we signed has stages,” Solomon told The Times of Israel. “Stage one is the release of the hostages and the terrorists. Stage two is the complete disarmament of Gaza and of Hamas, so that Hamas does not control the Gaza Strip in any way. And that way we achieve our war aims, we win this difficult war, and destroy Hamas.”

He added that if Hamas remains armed and in charge of Gaza, his party “cannot stay in this government.”

The cabinet approved the deal Friday, clearing the way for the release of all hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

The decision was made under the framework of US President Donald Trump’s broader Gaza peace plan, despite sharp opposition from some coalition members.

Within the Religious Zionism faction, two cabinet ministers—party leader and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock—voted against the deal, while Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer supported it.

Under the terms of the agreement, 48 hostages are to be released Sunday, including 20 believed to be alive. In exchange, Israel will free 250 Palestinian security prisoners serving life sentences and another 1,700 Gazans held since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. Officials cautioned that it could take longer to recover the remains of some of the hostages.

Solomon said the moment brought “dissonance between great joy, pain, and fear for the future.” While he expressed happiness and relief, he also voiced concern over the release of convicted terrorists. “The price is not simple,” he said. “We know with certainty that some will return to committing acts of terror.”

Recalling that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar—killed earlier this year—was freed in the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal before masterminding the October 7 attack, Solomon said freeing murderers “opens a wound for families who lost someone dear to them.”