The minister who informed Netanyahu: "Senior Likud members are trying to oust you"

How many times can one try to topple a prime minister during a single term? Now it can be said with certainty that it is more than once. It has come to the attention of "Israel Hayom" that very senior members of the Likud tried to oust Benjamin Netanyahu from his position on one more occasion, the details of which are now being revealed for the first time.

In January 2025, the chairman of Otzma Yehudit, Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, turned the frequent threats against the government into action and resigned along with two other ministers from his party in protest against the hostage deal signed in those days.

Ben Gvir moved to the Knesset benches and received an offer, according to those exposed to the details, "by very senior Likud members" - to add votes for a constructive vote of no confidence.

Ben Gvir, who did not miss an opportunity to challenge the government from within and without, refused and hurried to call Netanyahu's office. In a conversation between the two, he told about the generous offer he received, including the words "any portfolio you want," and announced that he had refused.

Let us recall that in those days, Netanyahu was guarding the Otzma portfolios with political desperation in a kind of deposit, and even blocking an attempt from within the government to stop Ben Gvir's return. Also, the regular briefings against Ben Gvir that would come out of the office every other day stopped at once.

Now one can understand why. Ben Gvir gave Netanyahu a full report on what was happening at his home and what those senior officials were interested in, and won the immunity trophy.

In this story, political advisors are mentioned this week with Amit Segal's exposure of the putsch attempt by Minister Nir Barkat after October 7, during which he tried to lead to the ousting of Netanyahu from the position of Prime Minister.

This was indeed the first time, but by no means the last, for elements in the Likud party to succeed where all his political rivals had failed in the past and remove him from the Prime Minister's office. When this story is revealed on the eve of the Likud primaries, it is hard not to be impressed that this is a political settling of scores.

"Netanyahu is sharp," they said this week in his circle. "Unlike Bennett, whose party fell apart while he was visiting Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister, before entering the last meeting with US President Donald Trump, asked to bring him the phone of Knesset member Sasson Guetta, number 41 on the list, to ensure he votes with the coalition."

As part of the ongoing maintenance of loyalists over conspirators, this week he also decided to publicly reward the one who was by his side throughout the war, Israel Katz, on the one hand, and to announce his first reserved spot: Oren Dubrovsky.

He is trying to fill the list with "normal" people, they explained in his circle. There, they were also not surprised by the rapid destruction of value that they tried to attach to the "shark" who became in an instant a "reality star" and nothing more.

In the Likud, they call the approaching primaries "a changing of generations." From the generation of "princes" to the generation of functionaries, and from the generation of functionaries to the active, noisy, promising Knesset members, model 2026.

The new names at the top, at least according to the polls, include Gottlieb, Moshe Saada, Amichai Chikli, and also Amit Halevi, while senior ministers are being pushed to the margins. Soon Netanyahu will receive the new inventory list to understand how many more Dubrovskys he will need to survive the current election campaign.