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By Ruthie Blum
(OCTOBER 6, 2022 / JERUSALEM POST) U.S. House Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) took to Twitter on Monday to “urge Israeli political leaders from all sides of the political spectrum to ostracize extremists like Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose outrageous views run contrary to Israel’s core principles of a democratic and Jewish state.”
These “extremists,” he added, “undermine Israel’s interests and the U.S.-Israel relationship, which I and my colleagues have worked to strengthen.”
Sherman was the second “pro-Israel Democrat” to issue a warning against Otzma Yehudit leader MK Ben-Gvir. According to a report earlier this week in Axios, New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez said something similar last month in a private meeting with opposition leader Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu.
“The senator told Netanyahu he needed to realize [that] the composition of …[a] coalition with the likes of Ben-Gvir] could seriously erode bipartisan support in Washington, which has been a pillar of the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Israel,” a source cited by the outlet revealed.
As No. 2 on the Religious Zionist Party list, which most polls are predicting will garner some 12-13 mandates in the November 1 Knesset election, Ben-Gvir is guaranteed to retain his seat in Israel’s parliament. More significantly, he could end up with a ministerial portfolio in the next government if Netanyahu is able to form a coalition.
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