He’s just saying out loud what has been the fact and reality all along
The White House on Friday accused Israel’s ultranationalist finance minister Bezalel Smotrich of being willing to sacrifice the lives of the Israeli and U.S. hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Why it matters: White House spokesperson John Kirby’s unprecedented criticism of the senior Israeli official suggests the administration thinks Smotrich is trying to sabotage the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.
The White House has been working for months to secure a deal and negotiations are about to reach a decisive point.Between the lines: Smotrich, ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and their parties are critical for the stability of Netanyahu’s coalition.
The two ministers' threat to leave the coalition if the deal goes through has been one of the most significant considerations in Netanyahu's decision making regarding the hostage and ceasefire deal.
While Kirby's comments were directed at Smotrich, it signaled a risk for a dramatic fallout between the U.S. and Israel if Netanyahu rejects the deal. They’ll be no fallout in my opinion. Or it would have and should have already happened