Netanyahu-Ben-Gvir rift deepens over coalition makeup: Report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir are locked in a mounting dispute over the composition of the next government, with conflicting accounts emerging over whether the far-right Otzma Yehudit party will join a future coalition following the October 27 Knesset election.

Conflicting accounts

Israel's Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu had spoken with Ben-Gvir and Likud lawmaker Tally Gotliv to assure them that Otzma Yehudit would secure a place in his next government. The broadcaster said the conversation addressed coalition arrangements ahead of the upcoming vote, according to the network. Ben-Gvir's party swiftly denied the account, stating that no such conversation had taken place between the two leaders in recent weeks.

Instead, Otzma Yehudit claimed that Netanyahu had told several political figures he preferred Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot as a coalition partner and intended to exclude Ben-Gvir's faction from the next administration. Ben-Gvir later criticized Netanyahu publicly, saying his party had shown greater loyalty to the prime minister than some members of Netanyahu's own Likud movement. He objected to what he described as efforts to replace him with Eisenkot in the coalition calculations.

Electoral backdrop

Israel is scheduled to hold its Knesset election on October 27, with the composition of the next government dependent on coalition agreements among parties in the 120-seat parliament. The electoral system requires a majority of 61 seats to form a government, making coalition partnerships essential for any prospective prime minister. Netanyahu's Likud party has not yet secured a clear path to the threshold needed to govern without external support.