U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly seeking to prevent National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from joining Israel’s next government and may also oppose the inclusion of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, according to a Wednesday report by Ynet citing sources close to the president.

The sources claimed that Trump is personally monitoring Israel’s election results and wants to ensure that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not include Ben-Gvir in his next coalition. According to the report, a government featuring the Otzma Yehudit chairman is simply “not an option” for the American president.

The development comes just hours after Trump publicly took credit for Netanyahu’s stronger-than-expected election performance, suggesting that his endorsement helped the prime minister recover politically. Sources close to Trump reportedly believe the president expects Netanyahu to take American interests into account when forming his next government.

With the election results showing no clear majority for either political bloc, Trump may attempt to encourage the formation of a broad national unity government, potentially involving Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot.

According to Ynet, discussions surrounding a possible arrangement between Trump and Netanyahu envision focusing on Iran during the coming year, followed by efforts to expand the Abraham Accords during the final year of Trump’s presidency. The report also raised the possibility of Netanyahu eventually stepping aside as part of a broader political agreement, although no such arrangement has been officially confirmed.

Expanding the Abraham Accords, particularly through normalization with Saudi Arabia, remains a major priority for Trump. However, several Arab countries have reportedly expressed reservations about pursuing normalization while Netanyahu remains prime minister, potentially complicating the president’s diplomatic ambitions.

The Jerusalem Post previously reported that figures within Trump’s inner circle have been advocating a unity government excluding Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. However, Trump has not publicly endorsed such a plan, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has denied claims that Washington is attempting to dictate the composition of Israel’s next government.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)