Overview
- Naftali Bennett declared Friday that Itamar Ben-Gvir will not serve in any government he leads, calling the minister a failed official whose bullying and racism contradict Israel’s values.
- In leaked recordings published earlier, Bennett had said he would not boycott Ben-Gvir or Bezalel Smotrich, describing Ben-Gvir as “very, very, very unserious” and Smotrich as combative yet effective.
- Bennett’s office confirmed the recordings were leaked.
- Opposition figures seized on the remarks, with Yair Lapid urging voters to block a government with Ben-Gvir, and Gadi Eisenkot arguing officials in office on October 7 are unfit for leadership.
- Bennett also said he kept ties with the Religious Zionist Party to break post‑election boycotts and recalled inviting Smotrich into his 2021–22 coalition to avoid relying on the Arab Ra’am party.