Ben Gvir Refuses to Withdraw Knesset Candidacy Challenge Against Golan's Party

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced via X (formerly Twitter) that his party, Otzma Yehudit, will not retract its request to disqualify the "Democrats" party, led by Yair Golan, from running in the upcoming Knesset elections. Ben Gvir stated that he rejected appeals from the Likud and Religious Zionism parties to withdraw the petition.

Ben Gvir asserted that Otzma Yehudit's request is justified, citing several reasons. He claimed that Golan stated IDF soldiers kill babies as a hobby, that party members supported draft refusal which he believes weakened the army, that a party member represented terrorists, that party members supported creators of a film promoting a blood libel against Israel, and that the party vowed to shut down Channel 14 immediately after the elections. "A party like this should not be in the Knesset," Ben Gvir declared.

This refusal comes amid reported tensions between Ben Gvir's party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud. Reports indicate Netanyahu plans to impose a "photo ban" on Ben Gvir, aiming to distance the Likud from the far-right wing of the coalition. This move is reportedly intended to win back moderate right-wing voters who have shifted to parties led by figures like Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Gadi Eisenkot.