Ben Gvir Accuses Netanyahu of Promising Europe to Exclude His Party From Next Government
Translated & summarized from i24NEWS French by baba
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of promising European nations that Ben Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party would be excluded from the next Israeli government. The Likud party denied the claims, stating Netanyahu intends to include current coalition partners. The dispute highlights ongoing tensions over coalition composition and ministerial appointments, with Ben Gvir seeking the Defense Ministry, a post Netanyahu indicated would remain with Likud.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Minister Itamar Ben Gvir accused PM Netanyahu of promising Europe to exclude his party from the next government.
- The Likud party denied Ben Gvir's claims, stating current coalition partners will be invited to join.
- Ben Gvir seeks the Defense Ministry, but Netanyahu stated the portfolio would remain with Likud.
- Ambassador Yechiel Leiter suggested Netanyahu wants a broad unity government and excluded Ben Gvir from top posts.
- Otzma Yehudit interpreted Netanyahu's statements as a sign of potential coalition changes.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of assuring several European countries that Ben Gvir's party, Otzma Yehudit, would not be part of the next government. Ben Gvir stated on Sunday that he had received "verified and confirmed information" that the Prime Minister's office had officially committed to European Union nations not to include Otzma Yehudit in the upcoming coalition. He expressed deep sadness and hope that this was untrue, adding that the message was explicitly conveyed to relevant countries' foreign ministers or higher-level officials.
The Likud party vehemently denied these allegations, calling them "political manipulations" and internal squabbles. A Likud statement asserted that Netanyahu intends to invite current coalition partners to join the next government, welcoming every Zionist party within the framework of Likud's principles and the current coalition's composition. The party also urged voters to support Likud to prevent a government led by Gadi Eisenkot, which they claim would be backed by Arab parties, Yaïr Golan, Avigdor Lieberman, and Naftali Bennett.
This dispute follows recent reports suggesting Netanyahu's desire to form a broader government, potentially including centrist parties, without necessarily replicating the current coalition. Otzma Yehudit was previously identified as a party that might be excluded. While Netanyahu reportedly spoke with Ben Gvir to ease tensions and assured him the next coalition would rely on existing alliances, Otzma Yehudit contested the occurrence of this conversation.
The disagreement intensified after Israel's Ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, told CNN that Netanyahu aimed for a broad national unity government and had ruled out Ben Gvir for the Defense or National Security Minister posts. However, Leiter did not explicitly state that Otzma Yehudit would be excluded from the coalition.
Further friction exists over ministerial portfolios, with Ben Gvir seeking the Defense Ministry. Netanyahu indicated on Friday that the Defense and National Security portfolios would remain with the Likud, which Otzma Yehudit interpreted as another sign of Netanyahu's potential intent to alter the coalition, possibly by aligning with Gadi Eisenkot's party. Eisenkot, however, has so far ruled out joining a Netanyahu-led government.
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