Trump targets Ben-Gvir and Smotrich in push to shape new Israeli cabinet
American sources say the US president wants the two far-right figures excluded from the next government due to settler violence, a move that complicates the formation of a coalition amid a parliamentary deadlock.
By Andrew Bennett ·
US President Donald Trump is seeking to remove Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich from Israel’s upcoming cabinet, American sources told the Israeli outlet Walla on Wednesday. The reported stance rests on the belief that settler violence is obstructing the administration's regional strategy. Although Trump’s team has reviewed the election data, the president has not issued a public statement on the results yet.
The push occurs against a backdrop of a split parliament. The Central Elections Committee reported on Wednesday morning that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc is on track to secure 54 seats after more than four million ballots were counted. Likud is projected to take 27 of those seats. United Torah Judaism, Shas, and Otzma Yehudit are each expected to gain seven seats, while the Religious Zionist Party is slated for six.
The opposition camp, comprising Yashar, B'Yachad, Yisrael Beytenu, and the Democrats, is projected to win 49 seats. Neither side has reached the 61-seat threshold required for a governing majority. Exit polls indicate that Arab parties may hold the balance of power in determining which side can assemble a coalition.
Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit and Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party, allied with Zehut, are projected to win approximately 13 seats combined. This makes them potential kingmakers in any government led by Netanyahu. While these figures remain preliminary, the final seat distribution will follow the official count.
Two parties did not meet the electoral threshold in the exit polls: the Reservists’ Party and People of Israel. Likud headquarters erupted in celebration upon the release of the numbers. Ofer Winter, chairman of Amcha Yisrael, which also missed the threshold, blamed the outcome on the prime minister. Winter’s associates said Netanyahu "drained our votes" and called the move a "strategic mistake."
On the same day, Trump addressed the ongoing war with Iran, stating it could conclude whenever he chooses. He declared, "It will end very quickly, but we have to make sure it ends the right way." Trump specified that a resolution requires "an absolute and unequivocal declaration that they will never have nuclear weapons." He also labeled Iran "the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world."
