Ben Gvir Registers New Party to Secure Additional State Funding

Otzma Yehudit party leader and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has registered an additional party, "Eretz Yisrael Shelanu" (Our Land of Israel), ahead of the upcoming elections. This move, which mirrors a tactic used in previous elections, is expected to secure approximately 1.6 million shekels in additional state funding for his political list.

The new party is registered under the names of Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Knesset Member Yitzhak Kroizer. By registering "Eretz Yisrael Shelanu" as a separate entity that will run on the same list as Otzma Yehudit, Ben-Gvir's faction can receive an extra unit of party funding.

Party funding from the state is allocated based on the number of Knesset members a party has, plus an additional unit for the party itself. For instance, a party with five Knesset members is entitled to six funding units. The registration of "Eretz Yisrael Shelanu" allows the list to claim an additional unit beyond what Otzma Yehudit would receive on its own.

This strategy was previously employed by Ben-Gvir during the elections for the outgoing Knesset, successfully increasing the party's funding. The move aims to maximize financial resources available for the upcoming electoral campaign.