Netanyahu’s reliance on Ben-Gvir highlights Israel’s political divide

Two videos dominated Israeli public discourse over the past week. One featured far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting detained Gaza flotilla activists in footage that triggered international outrage. The other was a Shavuot “greeting” video released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, portraying Netanyahu supporters as victims of cultural persecution by liberal Israelis.

At first glance, the two videos appeared very different. Ben-Gvir’s clip projected aggression and humiliation outward, directed at foreign activists and international critics. Netanyahu’s video framed itself as satire, aimed inward at Israel’s domestic culture wars. But together they reflected the same deeper political dynamic: a leadership style built on polarisation, grievance and the deliberate cultivation of enemies, whether external or internal.

The contrast was especially striking because Netanyahu himself once publicly argued that Ben-Gvir was unfit for serious office. In a rare interview with Yonit Levi on Channel 12 before the March 2021 election, Netanyahu insisted that the leader of the extremist Otzma Yehudit party would never hold a senior ministerial role under his leadership. Asked whether Ben-Gvir was racist, Netanyahu distanced himself: “His positions are not mine.”

Yet after the collapse of the Bennett-Lapid “change government”, Netanyahu returned to power dependent on Ben-Gvir’s six-seat faction to secure a parliamentary majority. Ben-Gvir was handed one of the most powerful portfolios in government, National Security, along with broader influence over policing and internal security policy.

This week’s videos demonstrated how narrow the gap between the two men has become. Netanyahu may occasionally rebuke Ben-Gvir when international pressure becomes too intense, but politically the prime minister remains deeply reliant on him. Four years into their alliance, both leaders increasingly draw on the same politics of confrontation and resentment.