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Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu's ally, could hold key ministries after Israel's vote
Polling ahead of Israel's October 27 election suggests National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's party could gain enough seats to make any Likud-led government dependent on his support.
Polling ahead of Israel's October 27 election projects that National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit Party will win between seven and ten seats in the 120-member Knesset. That result could make any future government led by Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party dependent on his support and would position Ben-Gvir to secure senior ministerial portfolios.
His rise mirrors a broader trend across Europe and the West, where populist and nationalist parties have gained ground on traditional conservative movements. Among them are Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella's National Rally in France, Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom in the Netherlands, Australia's One Nation led by Pauline Hanson, Italy's League under Matteo Salvini, and Germany's AfD, whose co-leader Alice Weidel has been prominent in the party's campaigns.
As national security minister, Ben-Gvir oversees the ministry responsible for internal security, including the Israel Police, the Israel Prison Service and civilian firearms licensing. The post places him at the center of debates over crime, policing and the treatment of prisoners, areas where he has been among the most outspoken figures in Netanyahu's cabinet.
Supporters describe him in terms familiar to American politics. Yishai Fleisher, international spokesman for the Jewish community of Hebron and a candidate ranked No. 12 on the Otzma Yehudit list, told Fox News Digital that Ben-Gvir would be "called a Texan" if he were in America. Fleisher said the minister stands for law and order, the death penalty for murderers, tougher conditions for jihadists in prisons and gun rights for Jewish citizens to defend themselves.
Fleisher also linked mass immigration to Islamist extremism and unrest in parts of Europe, arguing that Israelis want to avoid similar developments. He credited Ben-Gvir with cracking down on protection rackets in southern Israel and with progress toward what he described as greater equality for Jews on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Judaism's holiest site.
Critics take a different view. Danny Ayalon, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington and former deputy foreign minister, said Ben-Gvir had missed an opportunity to change course despite his lack of military service and past conviction. Ayalon argued that his tenure had damaged Israel's diplomatic standing, saying that Ben-Gvir's statements had turned much of the world against Israel and portrayed it as a racist country.
Ayalon also said internal security had deteriorated during Ben-Gvir's time in office. He said crime was rising and that many young people had voted in the last election expecting him to bring governability and authority to areas such as the Negev and the Galilee, where he argued there is almost no law.
Ben-Gvir's record includes a 2007 conviction for supporting a terrorist organization and inciting racism. His campaign told Fox News Digital that the conviction stemmed from displaying a sticker of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose Kach party was outlawed in 1994, and reflected his support for a Jewish nationalist movement. The campaign said that as a young man he was an intense nationalist, and that he has since matured and moved on from those positions.
Ben-Gvir, who studied law, became active in public and political affairs and was first elected to the Knesset in 2021. After the 2022 elections, Netanyahu appointed him minister of national security. His style, which critics say lacks political correctness, has made him one of the most contentious figures in the government.
Questions about the alliance have also surfaced in recent days. On October 15, Ben-Gvir shared a Hebrew-language media report quoting Netanyahu as saying he would not serve again as national security minister. Ben-Gvir responded: "Dear Prime Minister, only the people will decide. Ben Gvir is strong, Israel is strong!" The following Wednesday, Likud appeared to reverse course on its official WhatsApp channel, stating that Ben-Gvir is a senior minister in the government and will remain so in the next one, provided that the bloc of the Left and Arab parties does not win.
Ayalon said Netanyahu could still choose not to include Ben-Gvir in the next government, even if that meant forming an alliance with other parties. The coming vote will determine how much leverage Ben-Gvir holds over the shape of Israel's next administration.
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