Ahead of elections – Netanyahu addressed Ben-Gvir and Smotrich
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the leaders of the Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism parties, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, to unite ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections. In his opinion, running separately…
Assessment
Netanyahu is publicly pressuring his far right coalition partners Ben Gvir and Smotrich to merge their parties before the Knesset elections, warning that running separately could leave one of them below the electoral threshold. The prime minister's video message signals anxiety about fragmentation on the right, which he blames for past losses. Scheduled talks suggest tensions that may force a realignment before the ballot.