Smotrich & Ben Gvir Negotiations on the Rocks
The negotiations between Religious Zionism Chairman MK Bezalel Smotrich and Otzma Yehudit Chairman Itamar Ben Gvir will decide the fate of national-religious politics for the next few years, but the game is mostly about how much would Ben Gvir be able to capitalize on his popularity and how far down would Smotrich be able to keep his price. The polls have been predicting between 10 and 12 seats, occasionally a little more, for their united front, which is the traditional number associated with the best the old NRP was ever able to win. Ben Gvir, who hails from groups well to the right of the NRP community––the Rabbi Meir Kahana heirs, if you will––wants half, in Knesset seats, committee chairmanships, and government ministries. The response from Smotrich so far has been a big, fat, “in your dreams.”










