Trump Seeks to Keep Ben-Gvir and Smotrich Out of Next Israeli Cabinet
American sources say the president believes settler violence is obstructing his regional strategy as Knesset results show a political stalemate.
By Daniel Rogers ·
US President Donald Trump wants to exclude far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich from Israel's next government, according to American sources.
The sources told the Israeli outlet Walla on Wednesday that Trump views settler violence as a barrier to his regional vision. They said the conflict makes it more difficult to execute his plans for the area. Trump’s associates have received briefings on the election results, but the president has not publicly commented on the outcome yet.
Preliminary data from the Central Elections Committee indicates a deadlock in the Knesset. After counting more than four million votes on Wednesday morning, the committee projected that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc will secure 54 seats. Likud is expected to win 27 of those seats. United Torah Judaism, Shas, and Otzma Yehudit are each projected to take seven seats, while the Religious Zionist Party is expected to win six.
The opposition bloc, which includes Yashar, B'Yachad, Yisrael Beytenu, and the Democrats, is projected to win 49 seats. Neither bloc reaches the 61 seats required for a majority. This leaves the government formation process unresolved. Exit polls suggested that Arab parties may play a key role in determining whether a coalition can form.
Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit and the alliance between Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party and Zehut are projected to win approximately 13 seats combined. These numbers make them potentially vital partners for any Netanyahu-led coalition. The final seat distribution will depend on the official count. Two parties, the Reservists' Party and People of Israel, missed the electoral threshold in the exit polls. Ofer Winter, chairman of Amcha Yisrael, which also missed the threshold, criticized Netanyahu. Sources close to Winter said the prime minister "drained our votes" and called the move a "strategic mistake."
Trump also addressed the war with Iran on Wednesday. He stated that the conflict could end whenever he chooses. "It will end very quickly, but we have to make sure it ends the right way," he said. Trump added that ending the war requires "an absolute and unequivocal declaration that they will never have nuclear weapons." He described Iran as "the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world."
Source: The Jerusalem Post
