Itamar Ben Gvir Seeks to Form Otzma Yehudit Faction Within Likud Ahead of Primaries
Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's National Security Minister and leader of Otzma Yehudit, is actively working to expand his influence among Likud members and activists ahead of the party's upcoming primaries. He aims to help elect candidates aligned with his ideological views to create a significant bloc within the Likud faction that would support a right-wing government and hinder the formation of coalitions with centrist parties after the elections. Ben Gvir believes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might prefer to form a government with centrist parties if given the option, citing Netanyahu's past choices to ally with center or left-wing parties when possible. Therefore, Ben Gvir warns against relying on Netanyahu's public statements about maintaining the current government.
Ben Gvir is increasing his involvement in the Likud primaries by publicly endorsing candidates through videos, attending political events, and maintaining ongoing contact with grassroots activists. He plans to release a list of preferred candidates and believes that the more Otzma Yehudit-aligned members elected to the Likud list, the harder it will be for Netanyahu to form a unity government with centrist parties due to internal opposition. This strategy is also influenced by Netanyahu's expressed desire to form a "broad national government" and his initiative to change the Likud primary system to allow more candidates on the list, a move that has sparked controversy and concerns about strengthening Netanyahu's control over the party list.
Simultaneously, Ben Gvir is deepening his grassroots presence within Likud by participating in party activists' conferences and events. Recently, he invited Knesset member Tali Gottlieb to join Otzma Yehudit's list for the next elections. Gottlieb, who is expected to secure a high spot in the Likud primaries according to internal polls, declined and affirmed her intention to continue within Likud. This effort illustrates Ben Gvir's attempt to influence Netanyahu indirectly through the Likud base, where Gottlieb holds significant popularity.
