Israeli Far-Right Leaders React to Election Results, Reject Unity Government

Far-right Israeli politicians Itamar Ben-Gvir, chairman of the Otzma Yehudit party, and Bezalel Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionism party, have voiced strong reactions to preliminary election results. Ben-Gvir, speaking at his party's election headquarters in Modiin, vehemently opposed the formation of a broad "national unity" government that would include Gadi Eisenkot. He expressed concern that discussions about such a coalition with Eisenkot had resurfaced immediately after polls closed, despite earlier denials from Likud representatives.

Ben-Gvir emphasized that his party's influence would continue to grow, viewing the preliminary results as a new chapter for Otzma Yehudit. However, his primary focus was criticizing the emerging initiatives for a wider coalition. He stated, "Unfortunately, I hear that some are already discussing a unity government with Eisenkot. This is exactly the scenario I warned about." He recalled Likud's assurances that such a possibility was untrue, noting the swift return of unity government talks after the exit polls were released.

Meanwhile, Bezalel Smotrich expressed hope that the final count of votes from IDF soldiers would significantly boost the right-wing bloc's overall performance. He declared, "The soldiers' votes can lift us higher." Smotrich also addressed perceived celebrations by Arab citizens, stating, "I see on some screens that Arabs are celebrating, so I declare to you and to them, we will not let them celebrate." He asserted that their celebrations stemmed from a belief they could reverse the "settler revolution" in Judea and Samaria, but vowed, "They will not succeed. Jewish settlements will be built in Gaza."