Netanyahu Confirms Ben-Gvir's Party Will Be in Next Coalition

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Sunday that the party of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir will be part of the coalition he forms after the upcoming elections. He explicitly rejected claims that he intends to exclude Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party from the next government, responding with "unequivocally" when asked if Ben-Gvir would be in the next government.

Netanyahu addressed recent tensions stemming from his desire to keep the defense and national security portfolios within the Likud party. He clarified that this aspiration does not signal an intention to end the partnership with Otzma Yehudit or Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party. "This is just spin," Netanyahu said, explaining that he wishes to retain these key ministries for the ruling party, Likud, as the "basic backbone of the national camp."

The Prime Minister also criticized attempts to establish an alternative right-wing political bloc separate from Likud, dismissing such efforts as "an illusion." He emphasized that his desire to hold the security ministries does not alter his coalition plans, stating, "We worked well together, including with Smotrich." He noted that both Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have affirmed their commitment to continuing the partnership with Likud and himself.

Furthermore, Netanyahu voiced criticism regarding the possibility of a collaboration between Ofer Winter and Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the National Unity Party. He warned that such a move could lead to a government reliant on Arab parties, asserting that Eisenkot cannot form a government without them, making it mathematically impossible.