Otzma Yehudit Rejects Netanyahu's Call to Unite with Religious Zionism, Proposes Alternative Right-Wing Alliances

Otzma Yehudit party firmly announced on Friday that it will not run jointly with the Religious Zionism party in the upcoming Knesset elections. The party emphasized that this decision is final and non-negotiable, closing the door on any further discussions about a joint list. This statement came shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again urged Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir and Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich to unite, inviting them to meet with him on Sunday to prevent vote splitting within the right-wing bloc.

Netanyahu stressed the importance of consolidating right-wing votes to avoid losing any seats, saying, "We must unite to save the right-wing bloc." However, Otzma Yehudit not only rejected the possibility of a joint run with Religious Zionism but also declared it would refuse any further talks or meetings on the matter, whether direct or indirect.

Instead, Otzma Yehudit presented Netanyahu with two alternative proposals to prevent vote loss on the right. The first is to unite all the small right-wing parties, which they described as "fragments of small parties," urging Netanyahu to facilitate their merger ahead of the elections. The second option is to include Bezalel Smotrich on the Likud list, using the reserved slots Netanyahu has in his party to secure Smotrich's place.

Otzma Yehudit framed these alternatives as realistic and viable paths to ensure a right-wing victory and the formation of a genuine right-wing government. By doing so, the party dismissed both a joint run with Religious Zionism and any negotiations on that front, insisting the discussion now focus on either uniting the small parties or integrating Smotrich into Likud.