Billionaire American investor Bill Ackman has called for Israel’s national security and finance ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, to be excluded from Israel’s next government, warning that the far-right ministers have significantly harmed the country’s international reputation.
In a statement published on X on Sunday, the prominent hedge fund manager, who is Jewish and an outspoken pro-Israel advocate, argued that removing the two men from whatever coalition emerges from Tuesday’s Knesset election could help restore Israel’s credibility in the US and improve its relationships across the American political spectrum.
“Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have caused Israel enormous reputational damage with their statements and actions, which are presented in the global media as representing the voice and will of all Israelis,” he wrote.
“As such, a government formed without Ben-Gvir and Smotrich will send a message to the rest of the world that Israel is turning a new page.”
His intervention comes two days before the election, with opinion polls indicating a closely fought contest between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and an opposition bloc led by Yashar’s Gadi Eisenkot.
Ackman, the founder and chief executive of Pershing Square Capital Management, said a government formed without the two ministers would signal a change in direction for Israel.
“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,” he added.
The Abraham Accords, negotiated under US President Trump during his first administration, established diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain in 2020. Morocco subsequently joined the accords and restored official ties with Israel later that year.
Ben-Gvir, the leader of Otzma Yehudit, and Smotrich, the head of the Religious Zionism party, have been prominent figures in Netanyahu’s current right-wing coalition.
Both have faced international criticism over their positions on Palestine, including their advocacy of “voluntary emigration” from Gaza, the establishment of settlements there, and settlement expansion in the West Bank.
In June 2025, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway announced sanctions against the pair, citing what they described as incitement to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The latest polling suggests that both politicians could retain significant influence after Tuesday’s vote, despite Ackman’s intervention.
Otzma Yehudit is projected to win around eight seats, while Religious Zionism is forecast to secure between six and eight, potentially leaving Netanyahu reliant on the parties to assemble a governing majority.
The Knesset requires at least 61 seats for a parliamentary majority, but the latest polling has suggested that neither the Netanyahu-aligned bloc nor its opponents can confidently secure that threshold without further coalition negotiations.
Speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv on Thursday, Ackman praised Netanyahu’s leadership, saying the prime minister had done a good job of protecting and defending Israel following the October 7 attacks.
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