Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir Demands New Elections Over Alleged Foreign Interference, Rejects Unity Government

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has demanded new elections and rejected a national unity government, accusing foreign states of interfering in the October 27 vote that cost Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition its parliamentary majority. ⠀ Speaking at a meeting of his Otzma Yehudit party on November 10, as Israel’s newly elected Knesset was sworn in, Ben-Gvir said his party would petition against the results and demand another vote. He accused foreign countries, which he called “terrorist states,” of interfering with voters’ choices, but offered no publicly substantiated evidence that the alleged interference changed the result. ⠀ Ben-Gvir also opposed Netanyahu’s proposal for a broad unity coalition, calling it a “government of paralysis.” He argued that such an administration would be unable to appoint a new attorney general or Supreme Court judges, or advance his policy of encouraging Palestinians to leave Gaza. ⠀ The minister has previously proposed a seven-year plan to encourage emigration from Gaza, a policy that has drawn international criticism. He also said his party would oppose any government dependent on parties he described as supporters of Hamas. ⠀ Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s alliance secured 48 and Arab-led parties won 19. Eisenkot has been tasked with forming a government, but neither main bloc has an outright majority. ⠀ Israel’s election authorities have certified the results and said they found no evidence that misconduct affected the outcome. An inquiry into suspected foreign involvement remains separate from Ben-Gvir’s claim that a new election is necessary.