Trouble is brewing on Israel's far right two months before an election, after hardline ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich failed to form an alliance between their parties.
The two ministers, who are notorious for shocking remarks about their desire to subjugate Palestinians, have been urged to unite by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid a split on the right.
Mr Smotrich signalled his Religious Zionism party would be open to a pact, saying it was “time for unity” in the nationalist camp. But Mr Ben-Gvir, who leads the Otzma Yehudit party, has refused to enter an alliance.
Both parties are coalition allies of Mr Netanyahu's Likud party in what has been described as the most right-wing government in Israeli history. During its four-year term it has overseen the brutal military campaign in Gaza and an expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Accusing Mr Netanyahu of plotting to form an alliance with opposition figure Gadi Eisenkot, Mr Ben-Gvir said he would “do everything” to prevent this and said Israel should have “only a right-wing government”.
Mr Ben-Gvir's snub to the proposed alliance drew anger from Mr Netanyahu and his party. “In his decision to burn tens of thousands of right-wing votes and not unite with Smotrich, Ben-Gvir has decided today to crown a left-wing government,” the Likud party said.
As Israel's National Security Minister, Mr Ben-Gvir has championed the death penalty for Palestinian militants and publicly taunted detainees in Israeli jails. He recently suggested Israel should kill 30 to 40 Gazans each night.
Mr Smotrich, Israel's Finance Minister, has been at the forefront of the West Bank settlement push. Both men are settlers themselves and have been sanctioned by some countries for acts of incitement.
Polls show Mr Netanyahu facing a tough battle for re-election in the October 27 vote. Mr Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff, could emerge with a larger bloc behind him in the Knesset and attempt to form a coalition.
Still, few would write off Mr Netanyahu, who has weathered crises and personal scandals to rule Israel for all but an 18-month period since 2009. While rival parties criticise his personal conduct and handling of Israel's wars, most leading opposition figures support a hardline stance on Iran and the Palestinian issue.
A firm opponent of Palestinian statehood, Mr Netanyahu has also rejected a US-backed plan for a phased withdrawal from Gaza in exchange for Hamas laying down its weapons.
