Political analyst Anna Barsky reported in the Israeli newspaper Maariv that circles close to US President Donald Trump are floating proposals to reshape the next government in the Israeli occupation entity, including excluding Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. One proposal would see Benjamin Netanyahu serve as prime minister for one year before being succeeded by another premier tasked with leading political negotiations, particularly with Saudi Arabia.
According to Barsky, several figures close to Trump are pushing for a broader, more “moderate” Israeli government. They believe Ben-Gvir and Smotrich’s continued presence in the government is obstructing Washington’s regional plans, foremost among them reaching a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, expanding the Abraham Accords, and improving Israeli relations with both the Republican and Democratic parties in the United States.
Prominent among those advocating such a change is American billionaire Bill Ackman, a Trump supporter, who has called for the formation of a broad-based government without Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. Ackman argues that changing the government’s composition would strengthen Israel’s international standing. He has, however, expressed support for Netanyahu remaining in office under a different coalition arrangement.
These ideas extend beyond Ackman. Maariv reports that officials in Washington believe achieving Trump’s Middle East objectives during the remaining two years of his term will require a change in the nature of the political partnership underpinning the Israeli government.
This thinking is linked to existing disagreements between Washington and the Israeli government over several issues, including Trump’s Gaza plan, policy toward Syria, efforts to strengthen the Lebanese government, and the handling of settler violence in the West Bank. According to the report, some American circles believe the composition of the next Israeli government will directly affect Washington’s ability to advance these issues.
Netanyahu for One Year, Then a Successor
In a notable development, the proposals under discussion include the possibility of forming a unity government based on a rotation of the premiership. Under this arrangement, Netanyahu would serve as prime minister for the first year before handing over the post to another premier who would lead political negotiations with Saudi Arabia before Trump’s term ends.
However, Maariv notes that the proposal remains at the discussion stage and has not developed into a political agreement. Nor have substantive negotiations been held with leaders of the Change Bloc, including Gadi Eisenkot, over its implementation.
In this context, Maariv reported that the Israeli ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, had spoken of Netanyahu’s preference for forming a national unity government rather than continuing with the current coalition. Leiter also indicated that Ben-Gvir would not return to the post of national security minister.
The remarks prompted objections within Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party, where there are concerns that Netanyahu may be laying the groundwork for an alliance with Eisenkot at the expense of his current coalition partners.
Trump, meanwhile, has not publicly endorsed the unity-government or rotating-premiership proposal. Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to the Israeli occupation entity, has denied that the American administration is working to impose a particular government composition. Washington, he said, does not interfere in elections or dictate how Netanyahu should act.
Complex Political Calculations and Obstacles to Unity
Despite these proposals, domestic political calculations in “Israel” continue to complicate the prospects of forming a new government. Even if Netanyahu’s bloc fails to secure a majority, that would not automatically mean Eisenkot or Naftali Bennett would agree to join a government led by Netanyahu, having pledged not to participate in one.
Ultra-Orthodox parties, meanwhile, have made the passage of a military conscription law a central condition for coalition negotiations. This could further complicate efforts to reach an understanding among parties with sharply differing positions on the issue.
The proposals circulating among Trump’s allies therefore appear to be an attempt to reshape the Israeli enemy’s political landscape in a way that would allow Washington to advance its regional priorities, particularly normalization with Saudi Arabia. For now, however, the initiative faces internal divisions and conflicting electoral pledges, and no coalition formula acceptable to the parties concerned has yet taken shape.
Source: Agencies (translated and edited by Al-Manar)