Tensions within Religious Zionism and the right-wing parties have escalated sharply: in an interview with Kikar Shabbat, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir opened a public front against Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, directly naming the feelings that have marked their relationship, arrogance, haughtiness and condescension.
The trigger for the current attack, according to Ben-Gvir, was an incident in which Smotrich convened a rabbis' conference while explicitly excluding Ben-Gvir from the forum. "He held a rabbis' conference and said, 'These are the rabbis of the right, we're now holding a conference of rabbis.' And they asked him: 'Why aren't you inviting Itamar?' And then he said: 'Itamar has no rabbis.' I have no rabbis?! Rav Shmuel Eliyahu isn't a rav?! Rav Dov Lior isn't a rav?! How dare you say such a thing?!"
Ben-Gvir claimed this is a problematic pattern of behavior that repeats itself, instead of conducting joint work and a substantive division of responsibilities. "Instead of saying 'expand your achievements, you say you do Judea and Samaria and I do internal security.'"
When asked whether this is arrogance stemming from ethnic considerations, Ben-Gvir replied: "Arrogance? Yes! Haughtiness, condescension. Because we're not the same thing."
When asked again explicitly whether the background for this is his being Mizrachi, Ben-Gvir answered: "Mizrachi, ba'al teshuva... there are all kinds of things."
