Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir last week, during which Netanyahu urged the minister to merge his Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party on a joint electoral list, according to a report published Thursday evening in Israel Hayom.
According to the report, Ben Gvir rejected the proposal, arguing that joining forces with Smotrich would damage both parties' electoral performance. The National Security Minister presented Netanyahu with internal polling data suggesting that a merger between Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism would significantly harm Ben Gvir's mandate potential. The surveys indicated such a union would alienate young voters and first-time voters, peripheral residents who don't identify with Smotrich, and even ultra-Orthodox voters considering supporting Otzma Yehudit.
Netanyahu reportedly concurred with this assessment. Ben Gvir then proposed that the Prime Minister absorb Smotrich into the Likud party instead. Netanyahu refused, explaining this would also potentially damage Likud, and that Smotrich represents a genuine electoral liability. Following the conversation, Netanyahu attempted to broker a union between Religious Zionism MK Orit Strock and Smotrich. However, understanding that merger wouldn't materialize, he has now shifted to an explicit and public pressure campaign against Ben Gvir.
