Likud says Ben Gvir will be senior minister in next government, after Otzma Yehudit accuses PM of planning to excluding him

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party insists it remains “100% committed” to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but accuses his Likud party of seeking to exclude Ben Gvir from the next government in favor of a coalition with Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot.

“The ‘friendly fire’ is coming from Likud,” the party says in a statement, citing recent remarks by Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter to CNN about Netanyahu’s desire for a unity government without Ben Gvir, as well as allegations that Netanyahu promised European officials that he would keep Ben Gvir out of his coalition if he wins reelection.

“If Likud has decided to throw Ben Gvir aside and form a government with Eisenkot, it would be appropriate for Likud to openly stand behind its decision instead of blaming the victim,” the party says.

Likud fires back, insisting Ben Gvir “is a senior minister in our government, and he will remain so in the next government” provided the pro-Netanyahu bloc wins the election.

“It is regrettable that Ben Gvir is engaging in friendly fire and spreading blatant lies against Likud and the prime minister,” the party says, accusing him of using the right-wing Instagram news page “Push” to attack Netanyahu, helping the anti-Netanyahu bloc.

Likud also accuses Ben Gvir of attacking the right instead of targeting smaller right-leaning parties, including Ofer Winter’s People of Israel, Yoav Hendel’s Reservists-Economic party and the radical Noam party, which it says are “wasting precious right-wing votes.”