The far-right Israeli party Jewish Power, led by the Minister of Internal Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, has denounced this Sunday in an official note that the Prime Minister and leader of Likud, Benjamin Netanyahu, would have secretly guaranteed to several European governments that he will not be part of the next Israeli Executive that arises after the elections on October 27.
"I see these things with great sadness. I have been hearing this information for a long time and I prayed that it was not true," said Ben Gvir, who claims that Netanyahu has conveyed these guarantees to Foreign Ministers and to officials of even higher rank in various European countries.
The leader of Jewish Power has warned Netanyahu that he cannot try to obtain political legitimacy, neither on the international level nor internally, at the expense of his figure and that of his party. "Do not count on the legitimacy of the left. Do not count on the left, which has been behind you for decades. They will always hate you," he stated, according to information published by the newspaper "Yedioth Aharonot."
In his opinion, Netanyahu's political future depends on maintaining a solid clearly right-wing coalition and not on opening the door to centrist formations. "Bibi (Netanyahu) needs a strong Ben Gvir, not a strong (Gadi) Eisenkot," he emphasized, referring to the former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and current opposition leader.
These accusations from Ben Gvir occur in a context of growing tension between both partners regarding the configuration of the next cabinet. On Thursday, Netanyahu emphasized that the portfolios of Defense and National Security will remain in the hands of Likud, a decision that would block Ben Gvir's aspiration to take over the Ministry of Defense.