Itamar Ben-Gvir

Coalition rises as Religious Zionist Party crosses threshold following hostage deal - poll

The coalition’s rise is surprising, as last week’s poll showed Ben-Gvir and Smotrich’s parties falling sharply due to their opposition to the Trump Peace Plan.

FINANCE MINISTER Bezalel Smotrich addresses a news conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem earlier this month. That Smotrich is not an economist, and is quite ignorant of current economic theory and practice, is no secret, says the writer.
Jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti gestures before the start of a deliberation at Jerusalem Magistrate's court, January 25, 2012

Ben-Gvir denies claim Marwan Barghouti beaten in prison, but 'proud' of worsening conditions

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir speaks during a ceremony at the National Police Academy in Beit Shemesh, September 15, 2025.

Ben-Gvir to Netanyahu: Give Hamas an ultimatum if it continues to delay hostage return

 (L-R) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff.

'Hamas is Hitler': Israeli ministers, US officials clash during gov't meeting to approve Gaza deal


Israel-Hamas ceasefire now in effect, Justice Ministry publishes list of terrorists to be released

Merz says Germany to give 29 million euros in Gaza humanitarian aid • US to establish coordination center on Gaza in Israel • IDF announces name of fallen soldier

  Celebrations at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv as negotiators set to sign deal freeing all hostages from Gazaץ October 09, 2025.

Likud Minister Miki Zohar: Hostage deal to pass despite Ben-Gvir, Smotrich - exclusive

Zohar expressed his full support for Donald Trump's hostage-ceasefire deal ahead of Israel's security cabinet vote.

Israeli Minister Miki Zohar speaks at The Jerusalem Post's Annual Conference in New York, US, May 19, 2025.

Opposition heads unite to discuss toppling Netanyahu gov’t, backing Trump peace plan

Multiple party heads offered to provide a political safety net to ensure the peace deal passes.

Blue and White leader and MK Benny Gantz arrives for a meeting of opposition party leaders at a hotel in Tel Aviv, October 8, 2025

Yair Lapid offers safety net for PM Benjamin Netanyahu to implement Trump's Gaza deal

Lapid's offer of a safety net thereby allows for the deal to still be implemented regardless of opposition from right-wing ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid delivers a press conference speech at Yesh Atid Party meeting, Sunday, October 5, 2025

'Full of traps': Hezbollah slams Trump's peace plan despite support for upcoming negotiations

Despite this, Hezbollah expressed its support and praised Hamas’s decision to participate in the ceasefire negotiations that will be taking place on Monday.

Mourners attend the funeral of Haider al-Moussawi, head of the security unit in the Shi'ite armed group Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, and senior Hezbollah figure Abu Ali Khalil, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Baghdad, Iraq, June 22, 2025.

Greta Thunberg to be deported to Greece, Trump says Hamas faces 'obliteration' if it rejects deal

Hamas collecting hostage bodies • Detained flotilla participant accused of biting prison medical staff • Israeli, Diaspora communities commemorate Oct. 7 Massacre anniversary.

Hamas members stand at the funeral of Marwan Issa, a senior Hamas deputy military commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, February 7, 2025.

Ben-Gvir threatens to leave gov't if Hamas left in power, Smotrich says ceasefire deal a 'mistake'

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich warned that the deal risked leaving Hamas in power.

Bezalel Smotrich attends a press conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem, August 6, 2025

Netanyahu: It was a 'complete lie' that Hamas was ready to release the hostages a year ago

Prior to the address, Netanyahu met with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) in the at the White House in Washington, DC, September 29, 2025

Israeli government does not see the impact it has on Diaspora Jews - comment

Thousands of miles away, a poorly handled PR campaign for Israel's war in Gaza, and the government carrying it out, has had an impact on the Jewish community I grew up in.

Armed police officers talk with members of the Jewish community near Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester, on October 2, 2025.

'Resounding diplomatic failure': Smotrich breaks silence on Trump proposal

Smotrich stated that agreement to the plan is “an act of willful blindness that ignores every lesson of October 7.”

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a Finance committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on August 14, 2025.

‘A disgrace’: MKs slam Netanyahu apology to Qatari PM on Doha strike

Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, Liberman, and Golan condemned Netanyahu for apologizing to Qatar over the Hamas strike, calling it weak and a “disgrace.”

U.S. President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 29, 2025.