Ben Gvir Rejects Unity Government After Election Setback

Israel's far-right political bloc faced an electoral setback on Tuesday night, October 27, 2026, as exit polls projected fewer seats for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's allies. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir rejected the prospect of a unity government with Gadi Eisenkot, while projections put his Otzma Yehudit party at six to seven seats and Netanyahu's bloc at 50, down from 64.

According to exit polls published by Channels 12 and 13, Otzma Yehudit was projected to win six seats, while Kan 11 projected seven. The Religious Zionist Party-Zehut alliance, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and incorporating Moshe Feiglin's Zehut, was also projected to secure six seats, bringing the two far-right parties' combined total to approximately 12.

The combined projection falls short of the 14 seats the parties won in the 2022 election, when they ran on a joint ticket. The projections remain preliminary, with the final distribution of Knesset seats dependent on the official vote count and allocation process.

Ben-Gvir addressed supporters at his party headquarters in Modi'in shortly before midnight, presenting the projected result as evidence of his party's independent political standing despite falling short of his goal of winning double-digit representation.

"Tonight, we are marking another chapter in the development of Otzma Yehudit. I remember that two Knesset terms ago, this party barely existed on the political map. After that, we fought for a single seat, and tonight, for the first time, an independent party running on its own has won the support of hundreds of thousands of citizens." Ben-Gvir said.

He expressed hope that Netanyahu's political allies could still form a right-wing government despite the projected losses.

"The night is still young. We believe and hope that we are close to forming a right-wing government, with God's help," Ben-Gvir added.

During his speech, Ben-Gvir defended policies pursued while serving as national security minister, including legislation concerning the death penalty for terrorists and demolitions of homes deemed illegal in the Negev.

"In any case, we are proud of our path, of the reforms we promised the public and delivered. I am proud that last time I promised to pass a law imposing the death penalty on terrorists, and we delivered," Ben-Gvir said.

He also highlighted demolitions in the Negev as an example of his government's approach to enforcement.

"I heard some people saying that the Arabs didn't like the demolition of homes in the Negev. I'm proud that we demolished 10,000 illegal homes in the Negev," he continued.

Ben-Gvir also addressed Palestinian security prisoners, arguing that his party would maintain its hard-line policies.

"I can already hear the hopes of the terrorists in prison, hoping that their summer camps will return. We will continue fighting to make sure those hopes are not realized. We didn't enter politics to apologize for our principles." Ben-Gvir said.

He then turned to reports of a possible unity arrangement involving Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar! party, warning that such a government would undermine the right-wing political agenda.

"Unfortunately, tonight I'm hearing that some people are talking about a unity government with Eisenkot," Ben-Gvir said.

He argued that the possibility contradicted assurances he said had previously come from members of Likud, Netanyahu's party.

"That's exactly the scenario I warned against, the one our friends in Likud made a point of denying and saying wasn't true. And now, just two minutes after the exit polls were published, we're hearing people talking about a unity government with Eisenkot. That would be a government of paralysis." Ben-Gvir said.

In a separate response to the projections, Ben-Gvir characterized the prospect of joining a unity government as a serious political error. The Jerusalem Post reported his description of the proposal as "exactly the scenario we warned against," and quoted him calling it a "terrible mistake."

Smotrich also responded to the preliminary results, addressing Arab Israelis and claiming that some were celebrating the projections because they expected a change in Israeli policy toward the West Bank, which he referred to as Judea and Samaria.

"they think they will succeed in stopping the revolution in Judea and Samaria." Smotrich said.

He followed that statement with a pledge to oppose such an outcome.

"We will not allow you to stop [it]," Smotrich added.

Ben-Gvir entered the Knesset in 2021 after several unsuccessful attempts, having previously been active as a teenager in the Kach movement founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane. In the current election, he ran Otzma Yehudit independently rather than joining an electoral alliance with Smotrich.

During his tenure as national security minister, Ben-Gvir pushed to expand the number of civilians permitted to carry firearms and repeatedly intervened in police affairs. His actions included efforts to pursue arrests of protesters blocking roads, block police promotions and remove Tel Aviv District Police Commander Ami Eshed from his position.

His tenure also coincided with an unprecedented increase in murders in Israel's Arab communities, according to the source reporting on his political record.

Smotrich's alliance, meanwhile, included Zehut, led by Feiglin, in an effort to clear the electoral threshold. The exit polls projected Feiglin's return to the Knesset for the first time since 2015, although the final result remained subject to the official count.