Ben Gvir Registers 'Shelf Party' to Secure Additional Public Funding

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has again utilized a legal loophole to secure additional public funding for his party, a tactic similar to one employed in the previous election cycle. Ben Gvir registered a "shelf party" named "Our Land of Israel" under the names of Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and MK Yitzhak Kroizer, as part of his Otzma Yehudit list.

This maneuver is expected to grant him an additional funding unit, valued at approximately 1.83 million shekels annually. Israeli law provides parties with ongoing funding units based on their representation in the Knesset, plus an additional unit for the party itself. A party with five Knesset members, for instance, receives six funding units: five for its members and one for the party.

By establishing this separate entity alongside Otzma Yehudit, Ben Gvir will receive a full additional funding unit for the "Our Land of Israel" party. In a related development, the "Bayad" party submitted a division agreement alongside the joint list of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. This agreement allows them to retain the right to split after the election, a procedural step previously taken by parties like the National Unity and Blue and White alliances, even if they do not intend to separate immediately.