Netanyahu urges Smotrich and Ben-Gvir to unite ahead of elections

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday called on far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir to run on a joint electoral list, warning that divisions within the right-wing bloc could cost it parliamentary seats.

Netanyahu argued that fragmentation among right-wing parties could result in some failing to cross Israel’s electoral threshold, potentially weakening the bloc’s overall representation in the Knesset.

“Whenever the right runs united in elections, it wins, and whenever it is divided, it loses,” Netanyahu said.

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He cited Israel’s 1992 election, arguing that although right-wing parties collectively received more votes than the left, divisions among them resulted in votes being lost when some parties failed to secure sufficient support for parliamentary representation.

Netanyahu warned that a similar scenario in the upcoming election could result in what he described as “another disaster” for the Israeli right.

The prime minister said he would personally intervene in an effort to resolve differences between Smotrich and Ben-Gvir and plans to bring the two politicians together in the coming days to seek an electoral agreement.

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