ILNational Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Otzma Yehudit party accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of orchestrating a staged unity appeal to pressure Zehut Party leader Moshe Feiglin during ongoing merger talks between Religious Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich and Feiglin. Ben-Gvir alleged that Netanyahu used the unity call as a tactic to weaken Feiglin's position. This follows a series of public disputes between Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir, with Netanyahu urging their cooperation ahead of an upcoming election. Ben-Gvir countered that Netanyahu seeks to dilute Otzma Yehudit's influence to form a broader coalition, while Netanyahu argued that uniting with Smotrich would strengthen the right-wing bloc and prevent a left-wing government led by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Bias read (Conservative): The article frames the conflict as Netanyahu attempting to manipulate political alliances for strategic advantage, using terms like 'staged call for unity' and 'small Otzma Yehudit Party,' which imply a right-wing critique of Netanyahu's tactics. The emphasis on Netanyahu's efforts to unify rightist
