Mr. Ben-Gvir had proven to be an unreliable and problematic coalition partner. Demanding a pay rise for the police, he refused to support the government in passing a landmark law last month, forcing Mr Netanyahu to leave his hospital bed as he recovers from prostate surgery and vote in parliament to ensure the law is passed. .
Mr. Netanyahu held frequent and lengthy meetings with Mr. Smotrich in recent days to persuade him to continue the unity. After three hours of talks between Mr. Smotrich and members of his party on Thursday, the party issued a resolution demanding a promise from Mr. Netanyahu that he will resume the war against Hamas immediately after laying down arms for the first time in six weeks as a condition for Mr. Smotrich in the government.
Mr. Netanyahu, meanwhile, stopped short of calling the Cabinet for a vote to ratify the deal, citing last-minute disputes with Hamas over details. On Friday morning, he said the negotiators had resolved their differences.
Mr. Netanyahu is facing charges of corruption in a long-running trial and risks facing society once the war is over due to military and policy failures ahead of a 2023 Hamas attack. Given the circumstances, some analysts believe that he will choose to ignore the second phase of the agreement, if Hamas does not do so first, in order to keep his alliance intact.
“Netanyahu wants to stay in power,” said Gayil Talshir, a political scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “It doesn't make sense for him to go to the election that he might not win. He wants two more years to lead the government.”
Mr. Netanyahu can still get along with Mr. Smotrich. Even if the Minister of Finance along with Mr. Ben-Gvir leaving the coalition, Mr. Netanyahu, at least for a while, can hold on as the head of the minority government. Opposition leaders say they will provide Mr Netanyahu with a political safety net for peace.
In any case, the government is likely to survive until the end of the first phase of the agreement, said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, a non-aligned research group in Jerusalem.
But Mr. Netanyahu may have to decide between his majority in parliament and his relationship with the incoming administration in Washington, while Mr. Trump and Saudi Arabia may have given him an opportunity to destroy his legacy.
“I think his mind is already on the next big path,” said Mr. Plesner for Mr. Netanyahu, he added, “If he has to choose between a close relationship with the Trump administration and Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, he will choose. Trump.”
US and Israeli officials said the deal reached this week was very similar to the proposal President Biden made last May.
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