A senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes Netanyahu could seek to form a government without Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir if he receives the mandate to form the next coalition after the election, the JNS Israel website reported.
According to the adviser, Netanyahu and his inner circle have been dissatisfied with Ben-Gvir’s conduct over the past four years. If Netanyahu has an opportunity to establish a coalition that does not depend on Ben-Gvir, the adviser believes he will try to avoid renewed political reliance on him.
The assessment is also linked to Netanyahu’s plans for his next term. The prime minister will turn 77 after the election, and if he succeeds in forming a stable government, he could view it as his final term and seek to rebuild ties with segments of the public that have become alienated from him. The adviser said Netanyahu’s experience with Ben-Gvir, his desire to regain broader public legitimacy, and the possibility that he is entering his final term could all push him toward a coalition without Otzma Yehudit.
Ben-Gvir responded angrily to the report, calling it "very concerning and infuriating." He argued that Netanyahu himself had acknowledged that major achievements in the war came only after Benny Gantz and Gadi Eizenkot left the cabinet and Ben-Gvir joined.
Ben-Gvir also warned against replacing him with Eizenkot. "To remove me from the government and bring in the leftist Eizenkot is clearly spitting in the face of the right-wing voter. Anyone planning such a move does not want victory and does not want judicial reform."