Settler Violence Fuels Trump Push to Shelve Two Israeli Ministers
US President Donald Trump wants Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich excluded from the next Israeli government, citing concerns over regional stability.
By Sofia Ramirez ·
American President Donald Trump intends for Israel's incoming administration to leave out two prominent far-right figures. Sources familiar with the matter told the Israeli news outlet Walla on Wednesday that Trump believes settler violence is damaging his regional strategy. This shift in posture places pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will face a fractured parliament after Tuesday's election.
The Central Elections Committee announced preliminary results on Wednesday morning. After counting more than four million votes, the committee projected that Netanyahu's right-leaning bloc would secure 54 seats in the 120-member Knesset. His Likud party is expected to win 27 of those seats. The United Torah Judaism, Shas, and Otzma Yehudit parties are each projected to take seven seats, while the Religious Zionist Party is expected to win six.
The opposition alliance, consisting of Yashar, B'Yachad, Yisrael Beytenu, and the Democrats, is projected to win 49 seats. No single bloc reaches the 61 seats required for a governing majority. This deadlock leaves the formation of a new government unresolved. Exit polls indicated that Arab parties could hold the balance of power in coalition negotiations.
Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit and the alliance containing Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party and Zehut are projected to win approximately 13 seats combined. These numbers make them critical potential partners for any Netanyahu-led coalition. The sources said Trump's team has been briefed on these election outcomes, though the president has not yet offered public remarks on the results.
Two parties failed to cross the electoral threshold according to exit polls: the Reservists' Party and People of Israel. Celebrations erupted at Likud headquarters once the data was released. Ofer Winter, chairman of the Amcha Yisrael party which also missed the threshold, criticized Netanyahu. Sources close to Winter accused the prime minister of draining their votes, labeling it a strategic mistake.
Trump also addressed the ongoing war with Iran on Wednesday. He stated that the conflict could end whenever he decides, noting it would end quickly but must end correctly. He said a conclusion requires an absolute and unequivocal declaration that Iran will never have nuclear weapons. Trump described Iran as the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world.
The final distribution of seats depends on the official count, which is still ongoing. The political landscape in Israel remains unstable as parties attempt to assemble a workable government. Trump's reported preference for excluding Ben-Gvir and Smotrich adds a new layer of diplomatic complexity to these domestic negotiations.
