Trump seeks to sideline two Israel ministers before next cabinet forms

President Donald Trump wants Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich left out of Israel's next government.

American sources told the Israeli outlet Walla on Wednesday that Trump believes settler violence is making it harder to carry out his regional vision. The president has not yet commented publicly on the election results. His associates have been briefed on the numbers, however.

The Central Elections Committee announced preliminary figures after counting more than four million votes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is projected to take 54 seats. Likud is expected to win 27 of those. United Torah Judaism, Shas, and Otzma Yehudit are each projected to take seven seats. The Religious Zionist Party is expected to win six.

The opposition bloc is projected to win 49 seats. This group includes Yashar, B'Yachad, Yisrael Beytenu, and the Democrats. Neither side reaches the 61 seats required for a majority. Exit polls suggest Arab parties may hold the balance of power in coalition negotiations. Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit and the alliance of Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party and Zehut are projected to win about 13 seats combined. This makes them potential partners for a Netanyahu-led government. Final seat distributions depend on the official count.

Two parties missed the electoral threshold in exit polls. The Reservists' Party and People of Israel did not qualify for representation. Ofer Winter, chairman of People of Israel, criticized Netanyahu. Sources close to Winter claimed the prime minister had drained their votes. They called the move a strategic mistake. Celebrations took place at Likud headquarters after the results were published.

Trump also spoke on Wednesday about the war with Iran. He said the conflict could end whenever he decides. He stated that it will end very quickly but must end the right way. Trump said ending the war requires an absolute and unequivocal declaration that Iran will never have nuclear weapons. He described Iran as the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world.