Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael Elections 2026Netanyahu was quick to launch a campaign to unite the far-right Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism parties, but Ben-Gvir has rejected the move. His aides claim that Smotrich is driving away electors, particularly ultra-Orthodox and Mizrahi voters, toward Ofer Winter's new partyShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribe11:06 PM • August 27 2026 IDTAgainst the backdrop of growing distress within the right-wing camp, which is fragmented among several small parties, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a media campaign on Thursday aimed at bringing far-right Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party and Religious Zionism together.CommentsIn the NewsBen-Gvir Defies Netanyahu, Warns Smotrich Alliance Could Scare Off VotersIDF Strikes in Lebanon Kill One, Wound Six, Including Child, WomanYou're on a 25th-floor Balcony. Suddenly, an Iranian Drone Flies BelowI Spent a Saturday Way Outside My Comfort Zone – in the West BankWe Found a Secret Netanyahu Campaign. When We Reached Out, It Was Taken DownRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIAn Israeli Startup Is Reinventing Salmon Farming. It May Upend a Global IndustryHasan Piker Talks Hamas, anti-Zionism and Why Americans Are Fed Up With IsraelBeing Israeli Abroad Has Become Embarrassing. You Don't Talk About It'Israel Is Sending Militias to Commit War Crimes – and I Have to Protect Them'David Remnick on Netanyahu, Mamdani and Israel's 'Failure to Face' GazaBen-Gvir's Ambush Shook Netanyahu – and Unleashed a War for Right-wing Votes