Key Takeaways
- Billionaire investor Bill Ackman calls for Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to be excluded from Israel’s next government.
- Ackman claims the two far-right politicians have caused significant reputational damage to Israel.
- His intervention comes ahead of Israel’s general election, where Netanyahu’s coalition faces a tight race with the opposition.
Billionaire American investor Bill Ackman has called for the exclusion of Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich from Israel’s next government, citing their significant reputational damage to the country.
In a statement on X, Ackman stated that from his perspective, the two far-right politicians have caused Israel enormous reputational damage through their statements and actions.
The founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, who praised Netanyahu last week, said that a government without the two ministers would send a message that Israel is 'turning a new page'.
Ackman added that such a government would allow Israel to rebuild lost credibility, increase the opportunity for an expansion of the Abraham Accords, and enjoy a better relationship with Democrats and Republicans and Americans at large.
The Abraham Accords, mediated by US President Donald Trump’s first administration, saw Israel establish relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and later Morocco.
Representatives for Ben-Gvir and Smotrich did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
As ministers in Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have overseen policies widely perceived as discriminatory against Israel’s minority Arab population and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Several countries, including Britain, Canada, and Australia, have imposed sanctions on the two ministers over accusations of inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party is projected to win around 10 parliamentary seats at Tuesday’s election, up from 6, while Smotrich’s Religious Zionism is projected to win 8, up from 7.
Ackman, who was visiting Israel last week and owns 5 per cent of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, supported Trump’s candidacy for president in 2024.
Trump last week publicly endorsed Netanyahu for prime minister.
Nimrod Goren, the president of Israeli think tank Mitvim, said Ackman’s statement appeared to reflect a desire among Trump’s circles for Netanyahu to drop his far-right allies after the vote to form a ‘unity government’ with opposition parties.
However, Gadi Eisenkot, the leading challenger to Netanyahu, and other opposition party leaders have ruled out forming a government with Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.
Speaking at a Tel Aviv conference on Thursday, Ackman praised Netanyahu, who he said had done a good job in protecting and defending Israel since the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday, calling for an independent inquiry into the attack that killed around 1,200 people.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have caused Israel enormous reputational damage with their statements and actions.
Bill Ackman, Billionaire American investor and founder of Pershing Square Capital Management
This will allow Israel to rebuild lost credibility, increase the opportunity for an expansion of the Abraham Accords, and enjoy a better relationship with Democrats and Republicans and Americans at large.
Bill Ackman, Billionaire American investor and founder of Pershing Square Capital Management
