Billionaire Trump donor Bill Ackman says far-right ministers should not be in next gov’t

American investor Bill Ackman expressed his disapproval of Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right politicians, not being part of Israel's next government. Ackman, who is Jewish, stated that the two had caused significant damage to Israel's reputation. This came just two days before the country's general election, in which polls indicate a close race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition and the opposition.

Ackman, who praised Netanyahu last week, believed a government without the two ministers would send a message of a new era for Israel. He argued that it would help rebuild Israel's credibility, expand the Abraham Accords, and improve relationships with Democrats, Republicans, and Americans. The Abraham Accords, established in 2020, saw Israel form relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, later restoring ties with Morocco.

However, representatives for Ben-Gvir and Smotrich did not respond to requests for comment. The two ministers, in Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition, have been accused of policies that discriminate against Israel's Arab minority and Palestinians in the West Bank. Several countries have sanctioned the two ministers for inciting violence against Palestinians.

Ben-Gvir's party, Jewish Power, is expected to win around 10 seats in the election, while Smotrich's Religious Zionism is projected to win 8. Ackman, who visited Israel last week and owns 5 percent of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange with his wife Neri Oxman, supported Trump's 2024 presidential candidacy. Trump endorsed Netanyahu for prime minister last week.

Nimrod Goren, president of Israeli think tank Mitvim, suggested that Ackman's stance might indicate a desire among Trump's circles for Netanyahu to remove his far-right allies after the election to form a 'unity government' with opposition parties. Opposition leaders, including Gadi Eisenkot, have ruled out forming a government with Netanyahu.