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If President Donald Trump wants Israel’s next government to exclude Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who would replace their parties as Benjamin Netanyahu’s partners? The report raises that question, but neither the unfinished election count nor the parties’ public statements supplies a settled answer.
The claimed U.S. preference remains unconfirmed and disputed. Unnamed American sources described it in one report; a separate unnamed U.S. official said Washington had not decided whether to intervene and called reports of preferred government combinations “false and premature.” No publicly confirmed White House list of replacement partners was found in the material reviewed.
Parties on a ballot are not automatically available partners
Four party leaders outside Netanyahu’s current government have publicly stated positions that matter to the question. These are their stated positions, not predictions that they will maintain them through negotiations.
- Yashar!: In an October 27 post, Gadi Eisenkot said he would work to replace Netanyahu’s government. That statement sets out his political goal; it is not an agreement to join Netanyahu.
- Beyachad: Naftali Bennett said in an October 11 clarification, “We will not sit with him in any configuration.” That clarification followed his earlier conditional suggestion that Netanyahu could serve as a minister under a different government’s principles. The earlier remark alone is not evidence that Bennett is available to join him.
- Yisrael Beiteinu: Avigdor Liberman wrote in an October 11 post that his party would not sit with Netanyahu, even if “the world can turn upside down.”
- The Democrats: Yair Golan said in an October 11 post that Netanyahu would not serve in a government dependent on his party and that it would not sit with Netanyahu and his partners.
These refusals make it wrong to treat those parties as ready-made substitutes for Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit or Smotrich’s Religious Zionism. They do not prove that every alternative is impossible. No current, directly verified commitment on joining a Netanyahu-led government was established in this review for the Joint List or Ra’am, and neither should be presented as an agreed partner.
What the partial count does and does not show
The Central Elections Committee’s October 28, 9:01 p.m. Israel tally recorded 5,047,241 ballots, including 5,024,919 valid votes. These were the eleven lists at or above 3.25% in that partial count:
| List | Share of valid votes counted |
|---|---|
| Likud | 20.70% |
| Yashar! with Eisenkot | 16.21% |
| Joint List | 9.19% |
| Beyachad (Naftali Bennett) | 9.03% |
| The Democrats | 6.52% |
| Yisrael Beiteinu | 5.94% |
| Ra’am | 5.92% |
| United Torah Judaism | 5.67% |
| Otzma Yehudit | 5.54% |
| Shas | 5.32% |
| Religious Zionism and Zehut | 4.74% |
The threshold applies to the final valid vote. The table is not a seat allocation, a bloc total or a list of parties willing to govern together. The committee says results can change until final publication by November 4. Until the final allocation is known, the numbers needed for possible combinations remain unsettled.
Trump does not appoint Israel’s government
Basic Law: The Government gives Israel’s president the task of consulting parliamentary representatives and assigning a consenting Knesset member to try to form a government. The largest party does not automatically take office. A proposed government must win the Knesset’s confidence.
A 61-seat coalition is a majority of the 120-member Knesset and is the usual benchmark for a governing majority. It is not a blanket legal requirement that 61 members vote for an initial government: Basic Law: The Knesset, section 25, uses a majority of those voting, excluding abstentions, unless another rule is prescribed. A minority government can therefore depend on outside support or abstentions. Some later government-formation routes specifically require a majority of all Knesset members.
A reported U.S. preference cannot replace those Israeli procedures or an agreement among Israeli parties. The unanswered questions are which parties will change or maintain their positions, what final seats they receive, and which proposed government can win confidence.
JBizNews Desk | Jerusalem
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