Israeli Politicsupdated 1h ago2 min read
Itamar Ben-Gvir Courts Young Voters in Ramle Ahead of Israel’s General Elections
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Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's National Security Minister, campaigns to win young voters in Ramla. Polls show rising support for his Jewish Power party among Israeli youth.
Ben-Gvir courts first-timers
Itamar Ben-Gvir campaigned at the covered market in Ramle, telling young voters, "We see the support, we see the love [and] we want to win!" The BBC reported that more than half a million first-time voters will cast their ballots in Israel's general elections next week, and polls suggest a tight race. Mordechai, a 20-year-old fan accompanying Ben-Gvir in Ramle, said, "Itamar gives me a sense of security," while Nadav, 18, said, "I think he's trying to show that we're a strong country."
“We see the support, we see the love [and] we want to win!”
Political analyst Dahlia Scheindlin said, "For about the last 20 years, we've seen young Israeli Jews are more right wing than average," and she linked that shift to voting for the first time. The BBC described Ben-Gvir as a divisive candidate whose political positions include annexation of the occupied West Bank, Jewish settlement of Gaza, and the "voluntary emigration" of Palestinians.
Polls boost Jewish Power
Reuters reported that Ben-Gvir celebrated his 50th birthday with a cake decorated with a noose, and it said he plans to surround jailed Palestinians with crocodiles. Gavriel Marmon, an 18-year-old student and first-time voter from Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem, said, "I used to think he was a bit crazy, but then I actually looked at what he was saying, and it all made sense." Reuters said an opinion poll by Agam Labs at Jerusalem's Hebrew University found that as many as a third of Jewish Power supporters will be voting for the first time.
Odelia Kedmi, 41, said Ben-Gvir's policy to expand permits for Israelis to carry guns had "put air in my lungs," and she compared it to "President Trump’s peace through strength." Reuters added that Ben-Gvir's Jewish Power is forecast to win eight or more seats standing on its own, putting it roughly on par with the rump of the former Labour Party known as the Democrats.
Hardline politics and backlash
Ben-Gvir told supporters at a town hall in Tel Aviv this month, "We have to be proud and conquer Gaza, because it’s all ours." Reuters said Ben-Gvir declined to comment for the story, and it described him as having been convicted in Israel in 2007 of racist incitement and support for a banned terrorist group. The BBC said several Western countries have imposed sanctions or travel bans on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich for incitement against Palestinians, and it described them as powerful ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition.
“We have to be proud and conquer Gaza, because it’s all ours.”
The Guardian said European fashion retailers were facing fresh questions over supply chain oversight after a fire at a factory that supplied them killed at least 33 garment workers in Bangladesh, but it also quoted Clean Clothes Campaign spokesperson Ineke Zeldenrust saying, "audits consistently miss the most dangerous conditions because they are announced in advance and rely on documents rather than worker testimony." Reuters said the bill Ben-Gvir celebrated with the noose cake makes hanging the default sentence for Palestinians convicted of attacks on Israelis, and it said the bill is likely to be struck down by the Israeli courts.