Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood to face his critics in a “40 signature debate” at the Knesset on Monday evening, during which he rebuked accusations that his Cabinet is failing to prioritize the release of approximately 100 Israeli hostages that remain in Gaza dead or alive.
“We will bring back dozens of hostages, hopefully soon,” Netanyahu told the assembly, blaming refusals from the terrorist group Hamas for the lack of a negotiated ceasefire and release of prisoners.
The prime minister, who reportedly held meetings with advisers late into last night to discuss the protracted hostage situation, told the Knesset that his primary focus is dismantling Hamas’s control over Gaza.
To that end, he told lawmakers he has “asked the IDF to come up with an orderly plan to eradicate the governmental capacity” of the terrorist organization.
Demonstrations by hostage families and civilian protesters inside and outside the Knesset during the debate underscored the turbulence surrounding the several dozen Israelis believed to still be alive in Gaza. Multiple individuals were escorted out of the meeting due to outbursts and disruption.
Yair Lapid, leader of the Israeli opposition, blasted the prime minister as untrustworthy and unable to fulfill his duty to Israeli civilians and soldiers through the scorched earth tactics being employed against terrorists in Gaza and Lebanon.
“The reservists can’t trust you. They look at this government — they look at you, Mr. Netanyahu — and they know that there is no one to trust. They are fulfilling their duty. The government is not fulfilling its duty,” Lapid said during the debate, according to the Times of Israel.
He added, “Actions speak louder than words. If there’s no hostage deal, then you didn’t succeed.”
Netanyahu was summoned to parliament via a mechanism that allows the opposition to meet with the prime minister once a month. The mandate requires only 40 signatures from legislative representatives, an easy threshold to cross during a time in Israeli politics marked by division over the future of the conflict.
Netanyahu is in a precarious situation, struggling to manage both a public losing faith that military operations will force Hamas to give up its last bargaining chip and his own coalition that asserts an end to hostilities is a surrender to the terrorists.
This has led Netanyahu to seek alternative means of securing the hostages — but with little success.
The prime minister reportedly told members of the Israeli Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in a closed-door meeting ahead of the Knesset debate that he is raising the bounty on information that would lead to the securement of hostages, hoping to coax Hamas members to flip or Gaza civilians to leak valuable information on their whereabouts.
“I gave the order to increase the reward for those who bring information about the hostages — NIS 5 million for each hostage instead of NIS 1 million and safe passage for the informant and his family,” the prime minister said, according to a source who spoke with the Jerusalem Post. The reported bounty amounts to approximately $1.3 million USD.
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Netanyahu is banking on support from President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration to buoy Israel’s negotiating position.
The prime minister has been in regular contact with Trump since his electoral victory earlier this year and has expressed the belief that the two world leaders share a common vision for the future of their countries’ relationship.