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🇮🇱 Israel /Elections & Politics

Netanyahu urges far-right factions to unite ahead of election

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged far-right leaders Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to unite for the upcoming election.
  • Netanyahu warned that running separately could cause them to miss the electoral threshold, leading to a left-wing government.
  • Ben-Gvir opposed Netanyahu's call, suggesting a different alliance and accusing the prime minister of trying to weaken his party.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly called on leaders of the far-right Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionist Party factions, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich respectively, to unite for the upcoming election. Netanyahu posted a video message on social media, emphasizing historical precedent where joint runs led to victories.

They must unite. Every time we ran together, we won. When we ran separately, we lost.

— Benjamin NetanyahuPrime Minister urging far-right leaders to form a joint electoral list.

"They must unite. Every time we ran together, we won. When we ran separately, we lost," Netanyahu stated, referencing the 1992 election where separate runs by right-wing parties allegedly led to a loss and the "Oslo disaster." He warned that a similar outcome could occur if they fail to unite, potentially resulting in a left-wing government.

However, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir signaled his opposition to Netanyahu's proposal. Ben-Gvir responded in a video, suggesting that only a large Otzma Yehudit, combined with Smotrich and Ofer Winter, could form a fully right-wing government. He accused Netanyahu of seeking to weaken Otzma Yehudit to form a "broad national government" with Eisenkot.

Only a large Otzma Yehudit, together with Smotrich and Ofer Winter running together, only in this way can a fully right-wing government be formed.

— Itamar Ben-GvirNational Security Minister responding to Netanyahu's call for unity.

Netanyahu countered Ben-Gvir's response, expressing confusion and stating that polls indicate a united right-wing bloc would be strong. He argued that failure to unite would risk a left-wing government led by Eisenkot, Yair Golan, and Arab parties, attributing such a risk to "personal whims."

Ben-Gvir, don't bring down the Right. I did not understand your video.

— Benjamin NetanyahuPrime Minister responding to Ben-Gvir's counter-proposal.

Ben-Gvir further rejected Netanyahu's interpretation, claiming that uniting with Smotrich would alienate Otzma Yehudit voters and cause the right-wing government to fall. He proposed an alternative scenario involving Winter and Smotrich combining forces.

The attempt to weaken Otzma Yehudit party in order to form a broad national government with Eisenkot is neither right-wing nor nationalistic.

— Itamar Ben-GvirNational Security Minister accusing Netanyahu of ulterior motives.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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