Portrait of Bezalel Smotrich
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Bezalel Smotrich on Itamar Ben Gvir

Ideological ally (strong) Flip Head to head

TL;DR

Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir are crucial far-right coalition partners who share an ideological vision for Israeli control over biblical lands.

Key Points

  • Both were sanctioned in June 2025 by the UK and four other nations for inciting settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

  • They joined forces for the November 2022 elections under the Religious Zionism Party banner, securing significant power in the resulting coalition.

  • Smotrich once publicly defended Ben-Gvir's former client, who was convicted of murdering a Palestinian family in the Duma arson attack.

Summary

Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the government together as part of the Religious Zionism alliance, forming the most right-wing coalition in Israel's history and becoming critical to the prime minister's political survival. The two ministers, both lawyers by training, wield outsized influence because their parties' departure threatens to collapse the government. Their shared ideology centers on an uncompromising vision: a commitment to expanding Jewish control across all the land that constitutes biblical Israel and opposing Palestinian statehood. While Smotrich focuses on administrative implementation as Finance Minister, Ben-Gvir, as National Security Minister, has pushed provocative actions, yet both operate within this shared ideological framework that views the exercise of Jewish sovereignty in the West Bank as inherently moral.

While the two politicians sometimes take separate public stances or engage in political maneuvers, their political alliance and fundamental goals remain aligned. They both face international scrutiny, with several Western nations imposing sanctions on both ministers for inciting violence and abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank. Their shared ideological foundation, which asserts Jewish people's divine right to the land and rejects the two-state solution, distinguishes them from more traditional right-wing politicians by basing their claims on metaphysical being rather than conventional political arguments connected to specific actions or security needs. This perceived extremism alarms critics who fear for the future trajectory of the Israeli state.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bezalel Smotrich views Itamar Ben-Gvir as a vital political ally with whom he shares a foundational, hard-right ideological vision for Israel. They co-founded a joint political list and depend on each other for their leverage within the government coalition. Smotrich and Ben-Gvir are considered the key hard-right ministers whose support is essential for the prime minister's governing majority.

Yes, they are strongly ideologically aligned, particularly on the issue of expanding Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank and opposing a Palestinian state. While Smotrich focuses on administrative policy through the Finance Ministry, their shared goal is to implement a vision that maximizes Jewish control over biblical Israel. This alignment is why Western nations sanctioned them together for inciting violence.

The two politicians joined forces formally for the November 2022 elections, running on a joint Religious Zionism Party list which was a significant step in their political partnership. Prior to this, they operated as leading figures on the far-right, each carving out their own political space, but their successful alliance marked a more consolidated political front.