Minister Accuses Netanyahu and Smotrich of Racism Over Election Meeting Snub

Minister Amichai Eliyahu has sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Religious Zionism Party Chairman Bezalel Smotrich, accusing them of racism and exclusion. Eliyahu's remarks came after his party, Otzma Yehudit, was not invited to a closed-door election preparedness meeting in Jerusalem scheduled for Thursday. The meeting, titled "Saving the Right," is intended to bring together rabbis and heads of religious institutions to strategize for the 2026 elections, focusing on vote mobilization for the right-wing bloc. Eliyahu stated, "Where I grew up, there was no such exclusion and racism," asserting that his party is more aligned with religious Zionism than those who claim the title. Reports indicate that Otzma Yehudit party chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir was unaware of the meeting until contacted by the press. This incident occurs amid ongoing tensions between Ben-Gvir and Netanyahu, with the two reportedly not having held a private conversation in recent weeks. Otzma Yehudit views this exclusion, along with the recent surplus vote agreement signed between Likud and Religious Zionism without their inclusion, as further evidence of a widening rift. The party alleges this is an attempt by Likud to diminish Otzma Yehudit's influence and potentially exclude Ben-Gvir from a broader government that Netanyahu is reportedly planning to form with Gadi Eisenkot.