Netanyahu's Son Slams Interior Minister Ben-Gvir Amidst Right-Wing Party Unification Talks

A heated public exchange erupted between Yair Netanyahu, son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, escalating tensions surrounding the unification of right-wing political parties ahead of elections. Ben-Gvir accused the Prime Minister of orchestrating a "staged maneuver" to pressure negotiator Moshe Feiglin, claiming the calls for unity with Bezalel Smotrich were designed to weaken Feiglin's negotiating position.

Yair Netanyahu vehemently denied Ben-Gvir's claims, calling them "a lie and falsehood" and suggesting the push for unification was purely electoral, aimed at preventing right-wing votes from being wasted on parties below the electoral threshold. He further criticized Ben-Gvir's performance as minister, accusing him of jeopardizing the right-wing bloc's chances of securing 61 mandates and alleging the police had become a "tool of Kaplan," implying selective enforcement against the right.

The dispute intensified as Ben-Gvir, in a social media post, directly addressed the Prime Minister, expressing shock at what he perceived as a "cynical game" and a "staged call for unity" aimed at him. He drew a parallel to past political dealings, stating, "My name is Itamar Ben-Gvir, not Benny Gantz," a reference to a former political rival.

Prime Minister Netanyahu had been exerting significant public pressure on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich to merge their parties, warning of "wasted votes" similar to the 1992 elections. He even scheduled an emergency meeting, but Ben-Gvir maintained that his party's independent run was a "final and absolute decision."

Meanwhile, separate negotiations have been progressing between Smotrich's Religious Zionism party and Feiglin's Zehut party, reportedly reaching the stage of allocating Knesset seats. Ben-Gvir views these talks as evidence that the pressure on him to unite was merely a tactic in the negotiations with Feiglin. Both sides appear to be preparing narratives for the aftermath, with the Likud likely to blame Ben-Gvir if the right fails to achieve a majority, while Ben-Gvir is expected to claim Netanyahu acted out of ulterior political motives.