Smotrich enters joint ticket talks with former Likud MK Feiglin as Likud slams Ben-Gvir

Simultaneously, tensions grew between National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and the Likud party after he announced that Otzma Yehudit would not run together with the Religious Zionist Party.

Finance Minister and Religious Zionist Party head Bezalel Smotrich and right-wing politician Moshe Feiglin began talks to run on the same ticket in the upcoming October elections, N12 News reported on Friday. 

Feiglin is a libertarian-leaning Israeli political activist who formerly represented Likud in the Knesset from 2013 to 2015.

He was sentenced by the Supreme Court to six months in prison for his protests with Zo Artzeinu, an activist group that opposed the Oslo Accords, which he co-founded.

Simultaneously, tensions grew between National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and the Likud party after he announced that Otzma Yehudit would not run together with the Religious Zionist Party.

Likud calls on Ben-Gvir to 'overcome his personal ego' and run with Smotrich

“By deciding to waste tens of thousands of right-wing votes, Ben-Gvir has chosen to bring a left-wing government to power,” the party said.

Likud called on Ben-Gvir to “overcome his personal ego” and unite with Smotrich.

The public jabs come after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Ben-Gvir and Smotrich to run together.

In a video posted on social media, Netanyahu was asked, "Prime Minister, what about Smotrich and Ben-Gvir?" He replied: "They must unite. Every time we ran together, we won. When we ran separately, we lost."