Likud and Otzma Yehudit Clash Over Coalition Future

A sharp dispute erupted between the Likud party and the Otzma Yehudit party, fueled by conflicting reports regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's intentions for the next coalition. Otzma Yehudit vehemently denied a report by Yediot Ahronot claiming Netanyahu had a "calming talk" with party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir and MK Tali Gottlieb, assuring them Otzma Yehudit would be part of the next government.

Otzma Yehudit issued a statement calling the report "absolute fake news," asserting no such conversation occurred in recent weeks and no such messages were sent. They further accused Netanyahu's office of feeding information to international media suggesting Otzma Yehudit would be excluded from the next government, alongside a Likud campaign for a unity government and briefings from the Prime Minister's office against including Ben-Gvir.

The Likud responded by attacking Ben-Gvir, urging him to stop the "bluff" and focus on preventing a "left-wing government" led by Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Golan, and Avigdor Lieberman, with Arab parties. The Likud reiterated Netanyahu's commitment to forming the next government with existing national camp parties.

Otzma Yehudit escalated their rhetoric, using the idiom "the thief's hat is burning" to imply guilt, and accused Netanyahu of wanting Eisenkot in the government instead of Ben-Gvir. They pointed to Eisenkot's surplus agreement with Golan as evidence and demanded Netanyahu publicly commit to not sitting with them.

MK Tali Gottlieb, who left Likud to join Otzma Yehudit, also denounced the "calming talk" report as a lie from Netanyahu's circle, attributing the false report to their fear of Otzma Yehudit's public support and its potential to lead a right-wing government. She emphasized that only a strong Otzma Yehudit would keep the Prime Minister and the right-wing bloc secure.