MK Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit faction is planning to split from the Religious Zionist Party immediately after Tuesday’s Knesset election, Kan Reshet Bet reported Monday morning.
In late August, Ben-Gvir and Religious Zionist Party chairman MK Bezalel Smotrich announced that their two factions would run together for the 25th Knesset, as they had in 2021 for the 24th Knesset.
The deal was brokered by Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who also pressed the Noam faction to rejoin the Religious Zionist Party list.
All three factions ran on a joint ticket in 2021, winning a total of six seats, with one seat going to Otzma and one to Noam.
The three parties remained united during the entire term of the 24th Knesset, serving together under the Religious Zionist Party banner until the dissolution of the Knesset.
Now, however, with polls showing the Religious Zionist Party alliance receiving anywhere from 13 to 15 seats in tomorrow’s election, Otzma Yehudit is reportedly planning to treat the alliance as a technical bloc, and intends to serve in the 25th Knesset as an independent faction.
As a hint of this split, Otzma Yehudit is slated to hold a separate post-election event Tuesday night.
Otzma Yehudit is running candidates on the 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 15th, and 17th spots on the joint ticket, with Noam holding the 11th slot.
With polls showing the alliance receiving 13 to 15 seats, Otzma Yehudit is projected to receive six to seven seats in the next Knesset.