Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael Elections 2026On Thursday, Netanyahu urged the two to 'overcome personal baggage' and unite, with Ben-Gvir mocking the appeal and accusing him of seeking to form a unity government with his leading rival and front-runner, Gadi EisenkotShare 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 formatSubscribeJonathan Lisand Yossi Verter12:38 PM • August 28 2026 IDTFar-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's party on Friday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's call for him to run on a joint slate with far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in the upcoming election.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Israel Elections 2026Itamar Ben-GvirBezalel SmotrichBenjamin NetanyahuOtzma YehuditCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesTzvi SuccotNetanyahuUNRWAHasan PikerWest BankOfer WinterIsrael Space PollHaQuizHaaretz PodcastBen-Gvir Rejects Netanyahu Push for Joint Election Run With SmotrichBy Playing Wagner in Israel, This Swiss Director Broke Two Boycotts at OnceDisabled Parking Permits in Israel Are Out of Control. Now Comes the CrackdownPolice Accused of Fueling East Jerusalem Feud by Withholding Suspects' BodiesIsrael Election Chief Calls for Clear Guidelines on Security for Party LeadersRemembering 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 Israel'Israel Is Sending Militias to Commit War Crimes – and I Have to Protect Them'Being Israeli Abroad Has Become Embarrassing. You Don't Talk About ItDavid Remnick on Netanyahu, Mamdani and Israel's 'Failure to Face' GazaIsraeli Court Acquits Man of Assaulting Nun in Jerusalem's Old City