Photo: Dan Scavino / White House
President Donald Trump is reported to want an Israeli government without Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, a position that, if confirmed, would put him at odds with two of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s existing governing partners. The claim remains unconfirmed and is disputed by a separate account from a U.S. official.
Unnamed American sources cited in a report Wednesday said Trump believes settler violence is undermining his regional plans. They said he wants the next Israeli government to exclude the national security minister and finance minister. The report did not identify those sources or provide an on-record White House statement establishing that position.
A separate reported response from a U.S. official said the administration had not decided whether to intervene in coalition-building and called reports of preferred government combinations “false and premature.” That official also was not named. No public, on-record White House confirmation of the claimed demand was found in the material reviewed for this report.
The tension involves Netanyahu’s existing partners
Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit and Smotrich’s Religious Zionism are parties represented in Netanyahu’s government. The Knesset’s account of its formation identifies both men and their parties. The Finance Ministry continues to list Smotrich as finance minister, while an October statement from the Central Elections Committee identifies Ben-Gvir as national security minister.
If Trump does seek their exclusion, Netanyahu would face the question of building a different governing arrangement rather than simply reproducing his existing partnership. That is a conditional political challenge, not a finding that he cannot form a government.
The Central Elections Committee’s partial tally at its October 28, 9:01 p.m. Israel timestamp recorded 5,047,241 ballots, including 5,024,919 valid votes. Likud led with 20.70% of valid votes counted. Those figures do not establish a winner, final seats or a governing coalition. The committee says results can change until final publication by November 4.
What Trump said publicly
Trump has publicly commented on the election. In his early Wednesday exchange with reporters at Joint Base Andrews, he said he believed his endorsement had helped Netanyahu. Asked whether he had spoken to the prime minister, he said he had not. That exchange does not establish a demand to exclude the two ministers.
Trump also discussed Iran in the same exchange. “It’s a question: ‘When do I want to end it?'” he said in the White House video of the exchange. He said Iran wanted a deal. His separate “whenever I want it to end” wording came in a Tuesday rally in Lubbock, Texas, not a new Wednesday rally statement.
Neither the anonymous accounts of Trump’s preferences nor his public remarks settle who will join Israel’s next government. The count and the government-formation process remain separate steps.
JBizNews Desk | Washington and Jerusalem
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