National Security Minister and Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir warned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could exclude his party from the next government and instead form a coalition with Gadi Eisenkot.
In an interview at the Arutz Sheva-Israel National News studio in Jerusalem, Ben Gvir said he wants Netanyahu to remain Prime Minister but does not trust that Otzma Yehudit will be included in the next government unless it achieves a significant electoral result.
"If Otzma Yehudit doesn't win double-digit seats, they'll leave us out. Don't have any illusions about that," Ben Gvir said.
According to Ben Gvir, although Netanyahu has publicly stated that he would serve as a senior minister in his next government, other figures close to the Prime Minister have been sending different messages. He cited Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, Minister Miki Zohar, and statements concerning the possibility of Eisenkot joining the government.
"I hope Netanyahu is right," he said, adding that he has not heard the Prime Minister commit to ruling out a government with Eisenkot.
Ben Gvir argued that Netanyahu might prefer a quieter term in office, without the pressure Otzma Yehudit exerts from the right. He expressed concern that such a coalition would not advance the changes he wants to implement.
"Netanyahu may want his next term to be calmer and quieter," he said. "If we're strong, if we're big, we'll make sure it's a term filled with challenges."
He made clear that a government in which Eisenkot holds a senior security position would be unacceptable to him.
"A government with Gadi Eisenkot is a government of paralysis. It's a government I cannot be part of," he said.
According to Ben Gvir, such a government would neither advance judicial reform nor change Israeli policy in Gaza and Judea and Samaria.
Despite his concerns about Netanyahu's decisions after the elections, Ben Gvir emphasized that his personal feelings toward the Prime Minister remain positive.
"I love you, I want you to remain Prime Minister, but the right-wing standard-bearer must, must, must be Otzma Yehudit," he said, addressing Netanyahu directly.
To explain his concerns, Ben Gvir recalled the formation of the government in 2013, when the National Union was left outside the coalition. He said that at the time, he worked as a parliamentary aide to former MK Michael Ben Ari and remembered promises that, according to him, were never fulfilled.
"I love him, I respect him, I appreciate him. And I know that if I'm not strong, he'll leave us out," Ben Gvir said of Netanyahu.
He added that Otzma Yehudit played a role in securing the parliamentary majority that enabled the current government to be formed following the previous elections, and expressed hope that his party would increase its representation in the next Knesset.
One of Ben Gvir's central priorities is changing Israeli policy in the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria.
He argued that despite significant military achievements during the war, the government has yet to complete its mission of defeating Hamas.
"This government has done many good things," he said, pointing to Israeli control over extensive areas of Gaza and the number of terrorists killed, according to his assessment. Nevertheless, he insisted that these achievements were insufficient.
Ben Gvir called for the destruction of Hamas, the conquest of the Gaza Strip, and encouraging emigration from the territory. He added that he also intends to pursue the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority.
He criticized the continued delivery of aid to Gaza and economic measures concerning the Palestinian Authority.
Asked how he could explain the continuation of these policies while serving in both the government and the Security Cabinet, Ben Gvir said he had opposed them in cabinet deliberations and votes.
"I'm the only one in the Cabinet who voted against the aid trucks. That was me," he said.
He added that he had also opposed proposals intended, according to him, to protect Palestinian Arab banking operations and prevent measures that could harm them.
Ben Gvir presented his accomplishments at the National Security Ministry as evidence that he can influence government policy even when his party holds relatively few Knesset seats.
He cited changes to the conditions under which security prisoners are held, the establishment of civilian emergency response squads, building demolitions in the Negev, and changes on the Temple Mount.
"With five or six seats, look at the changes I made in the prisons. With five or six seats, look at the changes I made with the emergency response squads, on the Temple Mount, and with demolishing houses in the Negev," he said.
He then outlined additional goals he would pursue if Otzma Yehudit increased its strength: confiscating weapons from the Palestinian Authority, allocating land to soldiers in the Negev and Galilee, and changing the IDF's rules of engagement.
"I want to dismantle the Palestinian Authority. Yes, I want to take away their weapons. Yes, I want to give soldiers free land in the Negev and Galilee," he said.
He reiterated his support for encouraging voluntary emigration from both Gaza and Judea and Samaria.
Later in the interview, Ben Gvir addressed Ofer Winter's announcement that he intends to remain in the election race until the end.
Ben Gvir criticized the decision and called on Winter to withdraw rather than risk weakening the right-wing bloc.
"A big mistake. Winter must demonstrate responsibility for the sake of the right-wing bloc," he said.
Ben Gvir argued that political responsibility sometimes requires abandoning an independent election campaign. He recalled his own past willingness to unite with the Religious Zionist Party, even when, according to him, polls showed Otzma Yehudit holding a significant advantage.
"I always tried to unite. I always tried to join forces," he said.
Asked why he had not even managed to reach a surplus-vote agreement with Winter, Ben Gvir explained that he was unwilling to sign an agreement that could, in his view, transfer votes to someone who might cooperate with Naftali Bennett, Eisenkot, or Avigdor Liberman.
"What do you think, that people will vote for me and end up getting someone who goes and sits with Eisenkot, or Bennett, or Liberman? Absolutely not," he said.
Ben Gvir was also asked about remarks by Zehut Party chairman Moshe Feiglin, who had appeared earlier in the Israel National News studio.
Feiglin criticized the noose-shaped pin Ben Gvir wears as a symbol of his support for the death penalty for terrorists, arguing that a noose does not represent a vision, unlike the Holy Temple.
Ben Gvir responded that he respects Feiglin but questioned his achievements during his time in the Knesset.
"First of all, I have tremendous respect for my friend Moshe Feiglin," he began.
He later added: "Moshe was a Knesset member for four years. He talked about a vision, talked about the Holy Temple. Did he do even one thing that actually moved things forward?"
Ben Gvir contrasted Feiglin's record with the changes he said he had brought about on the Temple Mount, including expanding opportunities for Jewish prayer and allowing prayer sheets to be brought onto the site.
According to Ben Gvir, advancing these changes required overcoming opposition from various authorities, including the police, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), and sometimes the Prime Minister himself.
"I appreciate Feiglin, but I suggest to him that if we're talking about the world of action and politics, this is the world of action," he said.
He also listed his work concerning prisons, firearms licensing reform, the establishment of emergency response squads, the National Guard, and increases in police officers' salaries.
Ben Gvir also addressed tensions between himself and figures in the Religious Zionist Party.
He stressed that he appreciates Minister Bezalel Smotrich and his work on behalf of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, but criticized suggestions that Religious Zionist Party officials work quietly, unlike him.
He argued that this distinction diminishes the accomplishments he attributes to his ministry.
"What, making all those changes on the Temple Mount is just making noise? What, bringing forward the death penalty law for terrorists is just making noise? What, making life hell for terrorists in prison is just making noise?" he asked.
Ben Gvir also cited the establishment of emergency response squads and firearms licensing reform, insisting that these were substantive achievements rather than merely publicity efforts.
He was subsequently asked about remarks by MK Moshe Saada, who had called him a TikTok artist.
Ben Gvir replied that he appreciates Saada but believes elected officials should be judged by their actions.
During the interview, Ben Gvir was also questioned about remarks by Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, who issued a religious ruling against voting for Otzma Yehudit.
Ben Gvir chose not to confront the rabbi or criticize his remarks.
"I have tremendous respect for rabbis. I don't speak against rabbis, whatever they may say," he said.
He added that he was raised in a home where rabbis were respected even when they said things with which the family disagreed, and made clear that he intends to continue his political activities.
Ben Gvir also addressed the controversy surrounding Yinon Magal's use of the word "monkey" in reference to Gadi Eisenkot.
The minister said he disapproved of the expression but rejected allegations that Magal had acted out of racism.
"I didn't like the use of the word 'monkey' either. It's inappropriate. But, and this is the big 'but,' Yinon Magal is not a racist," he said.
Ben Gvir referred to his own family background and said he had been a guest at Magal's home many times over the years without ever experiencing discriminatory treatment.
"Yes, he made a mistake in his wording. You don't speak that way," he said.
Nevertheless, Ben Gvir agreed with the political criticism directed at Eisenkot.
He claimed that wealthy figures associated with the left were supporting Eisenkot and that Eisenkot was attempting to present himself as right-wing despite holding positions that Ben Gvir does not consider right-wing.
Ben Gvir also discussed Security Cabinet deliberations during the war, claiming that Eisenkot had opposed military operations in the Gaza Strip.
These were Ben Gvir's descriptions of the discussions, rather than accounts supported by cabinet transcripts presented during the interview.
Toward the end of the interview, Ben Gvir was asked about posters reportedly displayed in northern Tel Aviv that compared him to a Nazi by depicting him with a mustache.
Ben Gvir replied that he also encounters expressions of support, but recalled incidents in which, according to him, activists had attempted to prevent him from speaking at Tel Aviv University.
He criticized what he described as the difference between the treatment of Arab politicians and the treatment he receives, claiming that his appearances at certain venues are accompanied by shouting and attempts to silence him.
"It won't help them. They'll keep shouting, and I'll keep getting things done," he said.
Ben Gvir concluded by emphasizing his determination to continue advancing the changes he is pursuing at the National Security Ministry and his desire to increase Otzma Yehudit's representation in the next elections, thereby expanding its influence over government policy.