Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the Israeli-Jewish power party, speaks in Jerusalem on October 30. Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images
The Biden government is unlikely to work with Jewish supremacist politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is expected to be a senior minister in a future Israeli government formed by Benjamin Netanyahu, two US officials told Axios.
Why it matters: No official decision has yet been made, but if the Biden administration boycotts Ben-Gvir, it will mark an unprecedented development that would likely have negative consequences for US-Israeli relations.
- Israel’s far-right parties enjoyed unprecedented success in Tuesday’s elections, with the Jewish racist list Religious Zionism winning 14 seats — the highest number of seats for the far right in Israel’s history.
Driving the news: Ben-Gvir, who was convicted in 2007 of supporting a terrorist organization and inciting racism, said he wants to become Minister of Internal Security, a post that would put him in charge of Israel’s police force and politics around Jerusalem’s holy sites, including the grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- His political partner, Bezalel Smotrich, said he wants to become defense minister, a role that also oversees Israeli policy in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip and authorizes settlement construction. Smotrich has made racist remarks about Arab citizens of Israel in the past.
- Since Netanyahu has to rely on the two far-right politicians to pass legislation to stop his corruption process, they will have a lot of leverage to get the positions and policies they want.
Backstage: US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, in their meetings last week with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, have hinted at the possibility of not collaborating with Ben-Gvir and other far-right extremists.
- U.S. and Israeli officials said Axios Blinken and Sullivan said that while the Biden administration will work with any elected government in Israel, they may have a problem working with certain politicians, but did not name them.
- The Biden administration is particularly concerned about the racist rhetoric and positions of Ben-Gvir and his party towards Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the Arab minority in Israel, the two US officials said.
- US officials told Axios there was no formal policy decision on Ben-Gvir just yet, but the government had thought for the past few weeks that they would not work with him. It’s unclear if the government is considering making the same decision on Smotrich or other members of its parties.
What you say: “We are pleased to see such a strong turnout in the Knesset elections,” said a White House national security spokesman.
- “It is too early to speculate on the exact composition of the next governing coalition until all the votes have been counted,” the spokesman added. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Israeli government on our common interests and values.”
- State Department spokesman Ned Price said in Wednesday’s daily briefing that the relationship between Israel and the United States is strong because it is based on shared interests and values.
- “We hope that all Israeli government officials will continue to share the values of an open democratic society, including tolerance and respect for all minorities,” Price said.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include Ned Price’s comments.