Israel’s Likud party is in dispute after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urges far-right cabinet ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to run together on a joint electoral slate, according to multiple reports. Likud officials warn that their refusal to unite could split votes and jeopardize the coalition’s prospects in upcoming elections.
The disagreement centers on Ben Gvir’s decision not to join Netanyahu’s request that the two ultranationalist factions coordinate. Ben Gvir and Smotrich have previously run together in two elections, but this time Ben Gvir resists calls for a shared list. One outlet also notes that Ben Gvir has faced international condemnation for statements about using lethal force against Palestinians in Gaza.
Across the accounts, the core issue is political coordination among allies within the broader coalition. The outlets differ mainly in the amount of background they provide on prior elections and on Ben Gvir’s past remarks, rather than on the existence of the current intra-coalition tension.
