Netanyahu Says Ben Gvir Will Be Part of His Next Coalition

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he intends to include Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit in a government he forms after the election. Asked by journalists on Sunday whether the broad government he seeks would include Ben Gvir’s party, Netanyahu answered, “Unequivocally.” He also said he wants Likud to hold the defense and national security portfolios, subject to the election result. Netanyahu said that preference did not mean excluding his existing partners, and described continuing with Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich in the coalition.