Ben-Gvir's Party Wins 6 Seats in Exit Polls; He Warns Against Unity Government
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party won six seats in exit polls, falling short of expectations and contributing to a drop in the Netanyahu bloc's projected seats. Speaking to activists, Ben-Gvir celebrated his party's growth and highlighted his policy achievements, including demolishing illegal homes and advocating for a death penalty for terrorists. He also strongly opposed a potential unity government with Gadi Eisenkot, deeming it a "government of paralysis."
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Otzma Yehudit, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, won six seats in exit polls, below expectations.
- The Netanyahu bloc's projected seat count dropped significantly to 50 seats.
- Ben-Gvir celebrated his party's growth and highlighted policy achievements like demolishing illegal homes.
- He warned against a "government of paralysis" formed in a unity government with Gadi Eisenkot.
- Ben-Gvir previously served as Minister of National Security, a period marked by rising Arab community homicides.
According to exit polls from Kan 11, Channel 12, and Channel 13, the Otzma Yehudit party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, secured six seats in the recent elections. This result fell short of Ben-Gvir's expectations for a double-digit seat count. The broader Netanyahu bloc also saw a significant drop, falling from 64 to 50 seats.
Ben-Gvir addressed party activists late Tuesday night from his campaign headquarters in Modi'in. He celebrated the growth of Otzma Yehudit, recalling its near non-existence on the political map just two terms prior and its struggle for a single mandate. He highlighted the current achievement of hundreds of thousands of citizens supporting an independent party.
During his speech, Ben-Gvir touted his policy achievements as minister, including the promised and enacted death penalty law for terrorists and the demolition of ten thousand illegal homes in the Negev. He also vowed to continue efforts against the hopes of security prisoners for improved conditions, stating, "We did not enter politics to apologize for our principles."
He strongly criticized the possibility of a unity government with Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, calling it a "government of paralysis." Ben-Gvir stated he had previously warned against such a scenario, which he claimed some Likud members had denied.
Ben-Gvir, who was first elected to the Knesset in 2021 after previous unsuccessful attempts and was a youth activist for Rabbi Meir Kahane's movement, previously ran as part of a joint list with Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party. Following the last election, he was appointed Minister of National Security, a period marked by a surge in homicides within the Arab community. In his role, he advocated for increased civilian gun ownership and intervened in police operations, including attempts to arrest road-blocking protesters and prevent officer promotions, and sought the dismissal of Tel Aviv District Commander Ami Eshed.
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