Itamar Ben Gvir Endorses Likud Primary Candidates in Support Videos

Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the Otzma Yehudit party, has recently recorded a series of endorsement videos supporting several ministers and Knesset members running in the Likud party primaries. The list of candidates receiving Ben Gvir's backing includes Eli Cohen, May Golan, Ofir Katz, Amir Ohana, Idit Silman, Shlomo Karhi, Tali Gottlieb, Nissim Vaturi, Shason Guetta, and Osher Shekalim. In these videos, Ben Gvir calls on Likud members to vote for these candidates ahead of the upcoming primaries.

This move is notable because Ben Gvir is not a member of Likud but leads a separate right-wing party competing for votes in the same political space. Days before the vote, he is publicly signaling which Likud figures he wishes to see strengthened. According to sources close to Ben Gvir, some of the candidates personally requested his support videos, though the identities of these individuals have not been disclosed. Other videos were made at Ben Gvir's initiative to support politicians with whom he shares political alignment or cooperation.

Ben Gvir's team emphasizes that this is not an attempt to interfere in another party's primaries but rather a gesture of support for political allies. They describe the videos as reflecting the relationships Ben Gvir has developed over recent years with various ministers and Knesset members within Likud.