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VINnews · Aug 27, 2026

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*🇮🇱-Ben-Gvir Rejects Netanyahu Call To Merge With Smotrich* National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir quickly shut down Prime Minister Netanyahu’s public push for Otzma Yehudit to run together with Bezalel Smotrich. Netanyahu posted a video urging the two parties to unite, arguing the right has lost elections before when it ran split and wasted votes near the electoral threshold. About 18 minutes later, Ben-Gvir rejected the idea. His message to Netanyahu: you want to unite us in order to shrink me. Ben-Gvir said the real goal is a smaller Otzma Yehudit so Netanyahu can later build a broader “national” government with Gadi Eisenkot. He argued only a strong Otzma Yehudit, with Smotrich joining other right-wing partners separately, can deliver a full right-wing government. Netanyahu fired back that a technical bloc would strengthen the right, not weaken it, and warned that leaving Smotrich near the threshold could hand power to Eisenkot and Yair Golan. People around Ben-Gvir say a merger with Smotrich “will not happen.” Their line is that Smotrich drives voters away from Otzma Yehudit. The fight is now public, and it is happening while the right is still trying to lock in a path to the next election.

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