The battle to unify the parties of the Israeli right has entered a more complex phase, with the emergence of criticism from within the “Jewish Power” party of Itamar Ben Gvir’s decision to quickly reject an alliance with Bezalel Smotrich, in parallel with advanced communications between the latter and Moshe Feiglin, while Benjamin Netanyahu continues to pressure to prevent the loss of right-wing votes in the upcoming elections.
According to a report by journalists Moran Azoulay, Amir Ettinger, and Yuval Karni on the Israeli “Ynet” website, sources within Ben Gvir’s party said that some of his advisors believe that he “very quickly rejected” the option of merging with “religious Zionism,” despite the decisive statement issued by the party declaring that this possibility has ended once and for all.
These circles believe that the entry of retired Brigadier General Ofer Winter into the political arena requires a deeper re-examination of electoral calculations, especially in light of his potential impact on the distribution of votes from the right-wing camp.
At his party headquarters in Lod, Ben Gvir held a meeting with his close advisors, which is expected to also address the public pressures exerted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to push him towards a merger with Smotrich.
In parallel, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is holding advanced talks with Moshe Feiglin regarding the possibility of running in the elections within a joint “technical bloc.”
According to the report, Feiglin demands that the joint list adopt an alternating arrangement between the two parties’ candidates, which is known in Israel as the “Ritz Rates” formula, while Netanyahu’s pressure on Ben Gvir also aims to reduce the political price requested by Feiglin, allowing Smotrich to reach a more comfortable agreement with him.
As part of the continued pressure on Ben Gvir, the Likud Party attacked his position after he categorically announced that he would not unite with Smotrich.
The Likud statement said: “Due to personal considerations, Ben Gvir will burn the votes of the right. He transcended his personal ego and showed maturity and responsibility.”
But the “Jewish Power” party denied the existence of internal disputes, and responded, saying: “The attempt to present briefings issued by Netanyahu’s office as if they were fact, even though they have no connection to reality, is a ridiculous attempt. Our declaration is final and absolute.”
If both Winter and Ben Gvir adhere to their refusal to ally with Smotrich, whom most polls indicate is moving close to the decisive threshold, and who has announced his readiness for alliances, as happened in 2022, Netanyahu remains before an additional option, although it is not clear how realistic it is.
This option is to integrate figures from the “Religious Zionism” list into the Likud list.
Netanyahu and Ben Gvir have met and spoken several times in recent weeks.
During these meetings, Ben Gvir presented Netanyahu with in-depth polls he had conducted, and said that running alone gives him the ability to attract an audience from the peripheries and regions far from the center, especially voters from the eastern right who do not agree with Smotrich and do not want to vote for him.
Netanyahu responded, according to the report, that he is aware of Ben Gvir’s ability to bring votes from regions and groups that the joint coalition may not be able to reach.
Their last conversation took place this week, during which Netanyahu agreed to this approach.
But the scene has changed since then, after Winter’s strength in the polls increased and he became more adamant in his refusal to ally with Smotrich, which prompted Netanyahu to shift the pressure towards Ben Gvir.
However, Ben Gvir remained steadfast in his refusal, and on Thursday sent a message to Netanyahu stating: “Look for a solution to religious Zionism. I will not unite.”
Ben Gvir said: “The union of Smotrich and I means overthrowing the right’s rule, because we will bring fewer votes together than we would if we ran in the elections separately.”
The statement issued by Ben Gvir sparked a political storm, especially since he not only rejected the alliance, but also announced that he would not even agree to hold a meeting or conversation with Netanyahu and Smotrich regarding the issue.
The “Jewish Power” statement said: “The Jewish Power Party and the Religious Zionism Party will not run together in the upcoming elections for the Knesset. This decision is final and absolute and will not be changed under any circumstances.”
The statement added: “Accordingly, no contacts, meetings or talks will take place on this issue, neither directly nor indirectly.”
Ben Gvir also called on Netanyahu to search for alternative paths, saying: “We call on the Prime Minister to advance the two correct and realistic alternatives proposed, either unifying all the fragments of the small parties, or using the guaranteed seats that the Prime Minister obtained within Likud in favor of Smotrich, to ensure the victory of the right in the elections and the formation of a true right-wing government.”
Thus, the battle to unify the right has turned from an attempt to save votes at risk of being lost to an open struggle over identity, leadership, and the arrangement of lists, while Netanyahu finds himself facing a delicate equation: convincing Ben Gvir to back down, or saving Smotrich through another path, before the dispersion of the right turns into an electoral loss that is difficult to compensate for.
