Likud minister argues Mizrahi Israelis remain underrepresented in top institutions and must take senior posts in the party

Amsalem noted US constraints on Israel's response to Hezbollah and praised the country's careful navigation of those limits.

Ministerial Liaison to the Knesset Dudi Amsalem of Likud told KAN Reshet Bet on Wednesday that Mizrahi citizens encounter ongoing obstacles to equal footing in influential state bodies. He stated that while not every Ashkenazi is biased, nearly all instances of bias come from that group.

Amsalem, who also holds the portfolios of Regional Cooperation and a Justice Ministry role, pointed to concrete gaps such as no Moroccan-origin justices on the Supreme Court, the absence of any Sephardi state attorney since the nation's founding, and thin Mizrahi presence in senior university posts, especially law schools.

The term Mizrahi covers Jews whose families originated in Middle Eastern and North African communities, Sephardi refers to those of Mediterranean background, and Ashkenazi denotes Jews from northern and eastern Europe.

When statistics appear illogical, Amsalem said, it signals deliberate manipulation of outcomes.

He welcomed the notion that Mizrahim enjoy financial success and full equality yet stressed that genuine authority in state institutions still eludes them despite achievements in business and other sectors.

The minister called for Mizrahim to assume leadership of Likud, noting that most party voters come from that community.

Mizrahim must occupy the highest-ranking positions inside Likud without exception, he declared.

Amsalem vowed to prevent any reduction in Mizrahi numbers within the party and insisted that gains would require active struggle rather than being handed over freely.

He dismissed suggestions that Likud voters have held real control since 1977, asserting the party has never truly governed and that judicial overhaul efforts only triggered protests once they threatened existing power balances.

If the coalition had actually wielded authority, Amsalem argued, such reforms would have been unnecessary.

Amsalem says Washington restricts Israel's options against Hezbollah

Addressing complaints from northern residents about Hezbollah attacks and recent IDF losses, Amsalem said the United States curbs Israel's ability to strike the group and that Israel acts prudently inside those boundaries.

Washington has supported Israel substantially, he noted, yet ultimately follows its own priorities, leaving Israel to rely on itself.

The minister stressed the need for American help to neutralize Iran's nuclear program, calling it an existential matter. He described any negotiated removal of enriched uranium as the ultimate prize.

Without the nuclear concern, Amsalem said, Israel would ignore US preferences and strike Lebanon hard enough to halt Hezbollah fire, but the nuclear threat overrides that option.