Finance Minister Smotrich & leading religious Zionist rabbis reject hostage deal: ‘God will give good counsel’

Against the backdrop of the latest round of hostage deal negotiations with Hamas, leading rabbis and politicians of the religious Zionist movement reiterated their opposition to the deal on Monday.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, chairman of the Religious Zionism party, told reporters at the Knesset that Israel cannot “re-enter a cycle of fruitless talks that will harm the achievements of the war.”

Attacking senior IDF brass, which has reportedly pushed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a hostage release and truce deal, Smotrich said military leadership “does not know its place and instead of focusing on the continuation and intensification of the fighting against Hamas, voices political and policy positions in favor of a reckless deal while deviating from its authority and role.”

Senior U.S. and Israeli officials have generally described the current round of negotiations with great optimism. On Sunday, Netanyahu approved sending an Israeli negotiation team to continue the hostage deal talks with Hamas leaders this Thursday.

After Smotrich, his party colleague National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and other national religious leaders repeatedly voiced their objections to a hostage deal that would exchange Israel's captives for thousands of convicted terrorists, several leading rabbis of the movement joined them on Monday by signing an open letter expressing their concerns.

In an open letter titled "Torah Opinion on the Redemption of Captives," the rabbis outlined their opposition to the proposed deal. They argued against the deal, despite advocates describing it as a fulfillment of the Jewish commandment to free captive Jews. They emphasized that the danger posed by the release of the terrorists outweighs the Jewish command to free captives.

“The prices demanded to free the hostages endanger all Israelis, old, young, and women,” the rabbis wrote.

“For example: releasing all the dangerous monsters so Hamas can rebuild its collapsed army, withdrawing from strategic areas and stopping the fighting before Hamas is defeated.”

“We suggest to our leaders that God will give good counsel on how to redeem the hostages while ensuring the continued existence and well-being of the State of Israel.”

“Together with all the house of Israel, we pray that the Lord’s redeemed [captives] will soon return healthy and whole in body and soul, and may they come to Zion with glory and eternal joy upon their heads.”

Signatories of the letter included the Chief Rabbi Yaakov Ariel of Ramat Gan, Safed’s Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, along with settler leaders Dov Lior and Elyakim Levanon.

In his comments to the press, Smotrich reiterated that Israel “must not stop the war before achieving all the goals we have defined,” slamming the “tremendous international pressure campaign” that aims to force Israel to “agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state,” which he likened to suicide.

“All means are kosher to achieve this goal: imposing sanctions on settlers and organizations, including threats to impose sanctions on me personally; unilateral recognition [of Palestinian statehood]; and disconnected and unfounded decisions in The Hague,” Smotrich lamented.

“I stand here and pledge to you, I will never give up. The people of Israel will not surrender,” he vowed.

“We will do everything so that a Palestinian state will never be established in the Land of Israel that would endanger our existence. We are working day and night in the field to thwart this.”

Religious Zionism, also known as the National Religious Movement in Israel, is a stream within Orthodox Judaism that seeks to merge Torah observance with modern life in the Jewish state.

The movement is the main backbone of the settlement movement in Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank, and plays an important role in the right wing of Israeli politics.