Earlier this week, Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich—a man who only a few short years ago was seen as the radical fringe of Israeli politics but whose outrageous comments now seem both common and commonplace—predicted that his past and present political partner, ultranationalist Meir Kahane acolyte Itamar Ben Gvir, was destined for the upper echelon of Israeli politics. Ben Gvir, said Smotrich, will be a senior minister in the next Israeli government, since his own Religious Zionism party’s rocket-like trajectory in the polls is in large part attributable to Ben Gvir’s popularity and the electoral contributions of his Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) faction.”

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