Yair Netanyahu and Tali Gottlieb Clash Over Right-Wing Party Unity Ahead of Elections

The debate over uniting right-wing parties in Israel has intensified within the Likud party, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's call for a merger between Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit and Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party. Ben-Gvir rejected the proposal, placing responsibility on Smotrich, whose party is polling near the electoral threshold. Knesset member Tali Gottlieb supported Ben-Gvir, asserting that he should not be expected to serve as a "lifeline" for the Religious Zionist Party and that the responsibility lies with Smotrich to ensure a right-wing government.

Gottlieb suggested alternatives for Smotrich, including alliances with other right-wing figures like Ofer Winter or Moshe Feiglin, or even joining the Likud list to avoid risking votes on parties that might not pass the threshold. She emphasized that no right-wing party failing to meet the threshold should run independently, warning that splitting votes could inadvertently empower an Islamist-led government.

Yair Netanyahu, son of the prime minister, responded sharply to Gottlieb's comments, questioning why Ben-Gvir would not unite with Smotrich, Winter, and Feiglin to prevent vote wastage. He highlighted that left-wing parties have already formed alliances and accused Ben-Gvir of personal animosity and ego-driven refusal to unite, which could jeopardize the right-wing's hold on power. Yair Netanyahu warned that such division risks enabling a government led by left-wing and Arab parties, drawing a historical parallel to the 1992 elections when right-wing fragmentation contributed to the fall of Yitzhak Shamir's government and the rise of Yitzhak Rabin.

This public dispute underscores the growing tensions within the right-wing camp over electoral strategy and responsibility for preventing vote loss below the threshold. While Gottlieb places the onus on Smotrich to seek viable alliances, Yair Netanyahu urges Ben-Gvir to set aside differences and join a broad technical bloc as advocated by the prime minister.