Netanyahu May Drop Ben-Gvir for Unity Government, Reports Say

Close associates of outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have informed Gadi Eisenkot's camp that the Likud party is prepared to form a unity government without Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party. This marks a shift from Netanyahu's electoral pledges to maintain his partners. Concurrently, reports indicate initial progress in secret talks between Eisenkot and the Haredi parties regarding forming an alternative government.

According to a senior official in the anti-Netanyahu bloc, cited by "Walla!" news, preliminary contacts between Eisenkot, leader of the Yamina party, and the Haredi parties are seeing "positive progress" through a "secret channel." These discussions are exploring the possibility of cooperation to form a government. Avigdor Lieberman, leader of Yisrael Beiteinu, is reportedly not involved in these specific talks, despite meeting with Yaakov Asher, a leader of United Torah Judaism, on Wednesday. Lieberman has conveyed an assessment to his bloc partners that United Torah Judaism's potential entry into an Eisenkot government could pave the way for Shas to join later, provided Netanyahu does not lead the government and assurances for a stable coalition are met.

The potential inclusion of Haredi parties presents challenges for Eisenkot's bloc, which campaigned on a liberal platform that included stances against the political and religious influence of the Haredim. Parties like Yamina, Bayahd, Democrats, and Yisrael Beiteinu would need to compromise on significant campaign commitments concerning religion and state. For instance, the Democrats had pledged to allow public transportation on Saturdays, legalize civil marriage, and end gender segregation in academic institutions, all of which conflict with Haredi positions. A Democratic official stated that "the road is still long" to forming a government with the Haredim, and they are continuing "as usual" for now.

Meanwhile, "Walla!" reported that Netanyahu's associates conveyed messages to Eisenkot indicating the Likud and Netanyahu would not insist on including Ben-Gvir's party in a potential unity government. This development comes as Netanyahu intensifies his calls for a unity government with opposition parties. The report suggests these moves may stem from assessments within Netanyahu's circle about Eisenkot's potential success in forming a government that would end Netanyahu's tenure. Netanyahu's willingness to exclude Ben-Gvir represents a departure from his campaign promises to keep his partners, including Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionism party, in any government he formed.

When asked by an Eisenkot bloc official how Netanyahu's new messages could be reconciled with his pledges to Ben-Gvir, an associate of the Prime Minister responded, "There are already international criticisms of Ben-Gvir's behavior. He simply will not join, and will not be part of the government."