National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has stirred controversy by admitting he has blocked a hostage-ceasefire agreement multiple times over the past year. In a video posted on X, Ben Gvir urged Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to join him in threatening to leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition if the agreement proceeds. “In the last year, using our political power, we managed to prevent this deal from going ahead, time after time,” he wrote alongside the video. Ben Gvir expressed frustration, claiming his influence has waned since Netanyahu expanded the coalition by including Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope party. “Recently other actors who support the deal have joined the government and we no longer hold the balance of power,” he added. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)