Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir said Thursday that both Likud and the Religious Zionism party asked his party to withdraw its request to disqualify the Democrats party led by Yair Golan, according to The Zioneer.
Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir said Thursday that both Likud and the Religious Zionism party have asked his party to withdraw the disqualification request it filed against the Democrats party led by Yair Golan. The statement came later on Thursday, hours after MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) publicly urged Otzma Yehudit to drop the petition — a call the party rejected at the time.
The earlier developments unfolded around 11:34 Jerusalem on Thursday. Rothman, citing the committee's achievement in disqualifying Arab parties and candidates, urged Otzma Yehudit to withdraw, according to N12. The party refused. In a separate Knesset committee discussion, coalition party representatives likewise refused Otzma Yehudit's request to disqualify the Democrats, with Rothman calling the petition a "waste of time" and saying his faction would not participate in the vote. The dispute began earlier this month: on September 14, The Zioneer reported that the Democrats had responded to Otzma Yehudit's petition by demanding Otzma Yehudit's own disqualification.
The political friction comes amid broader coalition tensions. As The Zioneer reported on August 5, the Religious Zionism party claimed that left-wing activists had attempted to storm its headquarters. Meanwhile, Democrats leader Yair Golan has been seeking to consolidate the opposition, calling on other leaders to unite behind a single prime ministerial candidate, as The Zioneer reported on September 17.
It remains unclear whether Otzma Yehudit will comply with the requests from its coalition partners. The party has not issued a formal response to Ben Gvir's statement.
3 developments
- StrongDemocrats Party Demands Disqualification of Otzma Yehudit
- DevelopingCentral Elections Committee allows Religious Zionism to run, rejects Otzma Yehudit disqualification
- ConfirmedBen Gvir accuses Bennett and Lapid of hypocrisy after CEC rejects disqualification bid
- DevelopingYair Golan calls on his bloc to embrace Mansour Abbas to block Netanyahu coalition
Source and signal
- Open-source intake