Ben Gvir drops a bomb: Netanyahu hasn't answered my calls in recent weeks | First publication

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir revealed in a personal interview on Miki Levin's podcast for Maariv that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not been answering his calls in recent weeks. Ben Gvir described a close relationship he had with Netanyahu over the past two years, which included long Friday meetings, and claimed that officials in the Prime Minister's Office are whispering to Netanyahu to distance himself from him. He expressed concern that Netanyahu would choose to form a broad government with Gadi Eisenkot after the elections.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir revealed in a personal interview on Miki Levin's podcast for Maariv that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not been answering his calls in recent weeks. In the interview, conducted ahead of Yom Kippur, Ben Gvir described a close relationship he had with Netanyahu over the past two years, which included long Friday meetings and a connection between their spouses. According to him, the connection was abruptly cut off. Ben Gvir attributed the rift to officials in the Prime Minister's Office who whisper to Netanyahu to distance himself from him, claiming he is 'tainted'. He expressed concern that Netanyahu would choose to form a broad government with Gadi Eisenkot after the elections, as he did in the past with Ehud Barak, leaving Otzma Yehudit out of the coalition. Ben Gvir said that despite the harm to his personal dignity, he respects Netanyahu as prime minister and sees utmost importance in appointing the legal advisor and Supreme Court justices. The interview reveals growing tension between Ben Gvir and Netanyahu in the midst of the election campaign.