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Geopolitics · Middle East

Trump reportedly seeks to exclude Ben-Gvir and Smotrich from Israel’s next government

U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly seeking to keep far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich out of Israel’s next government, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers a broader coalition after the next election.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 5 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 1 of 5 outletsHow it's made

View timeline · 12 entries
5 outlets2 regionsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: MixedL 1 · C 1 · R 3
Updat3 graphic: Israel
Updat3 graphic · Map data: Natural Earth Natural Earth (public domain)

What happened

Key facts

  • The American sources said Trump believes alleged settler violence in Judea and Samaria is undermining his broader regional diplomatic objectives and complicating efforts to implement them (per worldisraelnews.com).
  • The account says Trump had publicly endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Tuesday’s Knesset election (per worldisraelnews.com).
  • The account says the American sources spoke with Walla News (per worldisraelnews.com).
  • The reports followed remarks by Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, who told CNN on October 16 that Netanyahu was interested in forming a broader coalition after the election (per worldisraelnews.com).
  • ANI’s headline says Trump prefers an Israeli government that excludes Ben-Gvir and Smotrich (per ANI, worldisraelnews.com).
  • sadanews.ps’s headline says Trump personally oversees efforts to prevent Ben Gvir and Smotrich from joining the next government (per sadanews.ps, worldisraelnews.com, The Jerusalem Post).
  • ynetnews.com’s headline says Trump wants Ben-Gvir excluded from Netanyahu’s next government (per ynetnews.com, worldisraelnews.com).

The brief

President Donald Trump wants Israel’s next government to exclude National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, according to American sources who spoke with Walla News, as reported by World Israel News. The account describes this as Trump’s preference, not as a decision already made about who will serve in the next government.

The sources told Walla News that Trump believes alleged acts of “settler violence” in Judea and Samaria are undermining his broader regional diplomatic objectives and making their implementation more difficult. That assessment is attributed to the American sources; the account does not provide specific incidents or further detail about the alleged violence.

The reported preference comes alongside Trump’s public endorsement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Tuesday’s Knesset election. The two positions are presented together in the report: Trump has endorsed Netanyahu while, according to the sources, wanting the next government to leave out Ben-Gvir and Smotrich.

The account also places the report after remarks by Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter. Leiter told CNN on October 16 that Netanyahu was interested in forming a broader coalition following the election. His statement concerns Netanyahu’s coalition plans; it does not establish whether Ben-Gvir or Smotrich would be included.

The headlines from ANI and ynetnews.com also describe Trump as preferring or wanting a government that excludes the two ministers, with ynetnews.com specifically referring to Netanyahu’s next government. The sadanews.ps headline makes a further claim: that Trump personally oversees efforts to prevent Ben Gvir and Smotrich from joining.

That claim is stated in the headline, while the account by World Israel News attributes the preference to American sources speaking with Walla News. The immediate political question raised by these accounts is whether Netanyahu will form the broader coalition Leiter described and whether it will include the two ministers.

The report does not state what Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir or Smotrich said in response, or identify a final coalition arrangement.

Why it matters

  • Netanyahu’s coalition choices determine whether National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are included in Israel’s next government.
  • The American sources’ stated concern links alleged settler violence in Judea and Samaria to Trump’s regional diplomatic objectives and efforts to implement them.
  • Trump’s public endorsement of Netanyahu and the reported preference to exclude the two ministers are presented as concurrent positions.

What to watch next

  • Whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forms the broader coalition that Yechiel Leiter said he was interested in pursuing after the election.
  • Whether Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich are included in Israel’s next government.
  • Whether the reported preference attributed to Trump by the American sources is reflected in the eventual coalition arrangement.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
6 source articles · 5 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Mixed· 1 Left · 1 Center · 3 Right
Where the outlets are based: Middle East 80% · Asia 20%
Outlet political mix
Mixed
Left
Center
Right
1 outlet
1 outlet
3 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
5 unique outletsDominant coverage: Middle East
Coverage imbalance
  • Coverage is currently concentrated among outlets based in Middle East (4 of 5 geographically-identified sources).
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. The West Bank portfolios and settlement issue have roots in Israel’s capture of the territory during the June 1967 war.
    Background · from our historical context
  2. Benjamin Netanyahu first became Israel’s prime minister.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. Donald Trump publicly backed Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election campaign.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. Israel held a Knesset election in which Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc won a majority.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. That remark followed Netanyahu’s return to office in December 2022 at the head of a coalition that included Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit and Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party.
    Background · from our historical context
  6. Their coalition agreement and the government’s formation in December 2022 placed both parties inside the governing bloc.
    Background · from our historical context
  7. Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government was sworn in after the 2022 election.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  8. In January 2023, Justice Minister Yariv Levin announced a proposal to change judicial appointments and limit the Supreme Court’s review powers; mass protests followed.
    Background · from our historical context
  9. On July 24, 2023, the Knesset passed a law limiting courts’ use of the “reasonableness” standard to review government decisions.
    Background · from our historical context
  10. Hamas-led attackers killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  11. Israel’s Supreme Court struck down that law on January 1, 2024, in a 8–7 ruling.
    Background · from our historical context
  12. On October 16, 2026, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, told CNN that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was interested in forming a broader coalition after the next Knesset election.
    Background · from our historical context

How we got here

On October 16, 2026, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, told CNN that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was interested in forming a broader coalition after the next Knesset election. That remark followed Netanyahu’s return to office in December 2022 at the head of a coalition that included Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit and Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party. Ben-Gvir became national security minister, with authority over the police, while Smotrich became finance minister and received responsibilities related to civilian administration in the occupied West Bank. Their coalition agreement and the government’s formation in December 2022 placed both parties inside the governing bloc. Otzma Yehudit grew out of the Kach political tradition; Israel had banned Kach from running in elections in 1988, and the United States designated it a terrorist organization in 1997. Smotrich, a longtime settler politician, led Religious Zionism, which joined forces with Otzma Yehudit and Noam in the 2022 election. The West Bank portfolios and settlement issue have roots in Israel’s capture of the territory during the June 1967 war. Israel has maintained military control there since then, while settlement construction expanded; the United Nations Security Council’s Resolution 2334, adopted on December 23, 2016, said Israeli settlements in territory occupied since 1967 had “no legal validity.”

In January 2023, Justice Minister Yariv Levin announced a proposal to change judicial appointments and limit the Supreme Court’s review powers; mass protests followed. On July 24, 2023, the Knesset passed a law limiting courts’ use of the “reasonableness” standard to review government decisions. Israel’s Supreme Court struck down that law on January 1, 2024, in a 8–7 ruling.

Original sources

1 of 6 articles · Asia · Show all

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