Ben Gvir Rules Out Joint Election List With Smotrich

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir ruled out another joint election list between Otzma Yehudit and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party. Ben Gvir said the parties appeal to fundamentally different electorates, describing Religious Zionism as focused on a specific national-religious sector while saying Otzma Yehudit reaches secular, traditional, peripheral and Haredi voters. He argued that a merger could weaken the right because one plus one does not always equal two. Ben Gvir praised Smotrich as a smart politician and talented minister who deserves credit for the settlement movement, but said the two parties should contest the election separately.