Billionaire hedge fund investor Bill Ackman calls for Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to be excluded from Israel’s next government, arguing they have damaged the country’s international reputation. Ackman says a new administration formed without the two far-right ministers would signal Israel is “turning a new page.”
Ackman’s intervention comes shortly before Israel’s general election, which polls describe as a tight race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and the opposition. Multiple outlets frame his comments as a US-facing critique of how Israel is perceived, citing his view that excluding Ben-Gvir and Smotrich would help Israel rebuild credibility and potentially improve relations with US political leaders.
Some outlets provide additional context linking Ackman’s reasoning to the Abraham Accords, saying a political shift could support an expansion of those agreements. Others focus more directly on Ackman’s demand and its timing ahead of the vote, while still identifying Ben-Gvir and Smotrich’s roles in Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition and references to international scrutiny.
