Ben Gvir Claims Four Likud Ministers and MKs Sought to Defect to His Party

Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, has claimed that senior members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud faction approached him about joining his political movement ahead of primary elections. Speaking on a Hebrew-language broadcast, Ben Gvir suggested that the defections would have significantly strengthened his party’s position within the coalition government.

The claims come as Israeli politics enters a volatile period, with coalition tensions simmering beneath the surface. Ben Gvir’s Jewish Power party holds a small but strategically important number of Knesset seats, giving it considerable leverage in government decisions. The alleged approach from Likud figures suggests dissatisfaction among some members of Netanyahu’s traditionally dominant party.

Ben Gvir also used the opportunity to launch a scathing attack on Almog Cohen, a politician who recently defected from Jewish Power to Likud. “You took my mandate and transferred it to Likud? That’s not how you behave,” Ben Gvir said, suggesting that Cohen’s departure represented a betrayal of his party’s supporters and their electoral wishes. The criticism highlights the contentious nature of party-switching in Israeli politics, where defections are often viewed as violations of voter trust.

The revelations underscore the fragile nature of Israel’s current coalition government, where smaller parties hold disproportionate influence over policy decisions. Ben Gvir’s comments, whether accurate or exaggerated, serve to boost his political profile and demonstrate his party’s significance within the ruling coalition.

Source: Maariv — Original article in Hebrew.