Bill Ackman, the American billionaire investor, announced on Sunday that Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich should not be part of the next Israeli government. Ackman criticized these two right-wing politicians for causing serious damage to Israel's credibility.
Criticism of Right-Wing Policies
This public statement from Ackman, who is a Jewish hedge fund manager, came just two days before Israel's general elections. Polls indicate a close competition between Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition and the opposition. Ackman wrote on platform X that from the perspective of someone familiar with how Israel is perceived in the United States, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have significantly harmed Israel's credibility with their statements and actions.
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Proposal for the Next Government
Ackman, who is the founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, stated that a government without these two ministers would send a message of "turning a new page" for Israel. He added, "This would allow Israel to rebuild its lost credibility and create opportunities to enhance the Abraham Accords and establish better relations with Democrats, Republicans, and Americans in general."
The Abraham Accords are agreements signed in 2020 by the Trump administration between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, also establishing formal relations with Morocco.
Representatives for Ben-Gvir and Smotrich did not immediately respond to requests for comment. These two ministers in Netanyahu's right-wing government have overseen policies that are widely regarded as discriminatory against the Arab minority population in Israel and Palestinians in the West Bank.
Several countries, including the UK, Canada, and Australia, have imposed sanctions on these two ministers due to allegations of incitement to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Ackman, who visited Israel last week and along with his wife Neri Ackman holds 5% of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, has supported Donald Trump's candidacy for the presidency in 2024.
Nemrod Goren, head of the Mitvim Institute, said that Ackman's statements seem to reflect a desire among Trump circles for Netanyahu to set aside his right-wing allies after the voting and form a "unity government" with opposition parties. However, Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu's main rival, and other opposition party leaders have rejected forming a government with the long-serving Israeli prime minister.
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