"Only a large Otzma Yehudit, together with Smotrich and Ofer Winter running together, only in this way can a fully right-wing government be formed," Ben-Gvir said.Follow us on GooglePRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir during a debate in the Knesset plenum earlier this year. Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, and Ben-Gvir embody fear Zionism; they do not speak for all Zionists, says the writer.(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)ByESTHER DAVIS, MAARIVAUGUST 28, 2026 01:50Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir and Religious Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich to reach an agreement to run together ahead of the upcoming election in a video posted to social media on Thursday.At the beginning of the video, Netanyahu was asked, "Prime Minister, what about Smotrich and Ben-Gvir?" He replied: "They must unite. Every time we ran together, we won. When we ran separately, we lost.""In 1992, they had, just like today, more votes than the Left, but because they ran as three separate parties, we did not pass the electoral threshold and lost to the Left. We got the Oslo disaster, we got [Yasser] Arafat here, Hamas here, and everything else is a disaster, ongoing disasters. Therefore, this can happen this time as well. Every time we went together, we won.""Every time we went separately, we lost. I understand that there are personal grievances between them. They need to overcome them. I will invite them in the coming days. We will make a supreme effort to unite, and this is what the public expects from them, and rightfully so."Ben-Gvir responds to Netanyahu's suggestion"You want a small Otzma Yehudit party so you can join Eisenkot to establish a 'broad national government,'" National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded in a video.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video to social media urging Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to run together in the upcoming election (Credit: Section 27/A of the Copyright Act)"Only a large Otzma Yehudit, together with Smotrich and Ofer Winter running together, only in this way can a fully right-wing government be formed."Ben-Gvir's video prompted a response from Netanyahu. "Ben-Gvir, don't bring down the Right. I did not understand your video," the prime minister said in a post on X/Twitter."Are you saying that I want Otzma Yehudit to be weak because I am asking you to unite with Smotrich?""It's the opposite! All the polls show that if Ben-Gvir and Smotrich unite it will create a strong party that strengthens the right-wing bloc," Netanyahu said. "Smotrich is on the verge of the electoral threshold. If you don't unite with him, we'll get a left-wing government of Eisenkot with Yair Golan and the Arab parties.""I can't believe that because of personal whims you're willing to risk the country."Ben-Gvir further shoots down Netanyahu's plan"Prime Minister, I didn't understand your video," Ben-Gvir responded in a post on X."The attempt to weaken Otzma Yehudit party in order to form a broad national government with Eisenkot is neither right-wing nor nationalistic.""You know the data and research as well as I do," he added. "According to all the polls, a connection between me and Smotrich distances Jewish Strength by 3-4 mandates who won't come to vote, and the right-wing government will fall!"He claimed that "the perfect script" would be for Winter and Smotrich to combine their parties. "In your words, Winter doesn't bring any votes from the undecided!""I will do everything so that you do not form a government with Eisenkot! Only a right-wing government!!!"Smotrich, on the other hand, seemed to agree with the prime minister's suggestion, writing in a post on X that "the time for unity and responsibility is now."Follow us on Google