Naftali Bennett does not rule out joining a coalition with Netanyahu, but criticizes Netanyahu’s leadership and calls for a stronger strategy against Iran.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett did not rule out forming a coalition alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Asked on the matter in an interview for the German newspaper Bild published on Tuesday, Bennett said that “the most important thing for Israel right now is to unite the people,” which could only be achieved with a “broad unity government, left and right, religious and secular, with a focus on rebuilding Israel.”
From the interview, it was not clear whether or not Bennett would agree to join such a government if it was led by Benjamin Netanyahu and not by him.
Bennett stressed that he had not yet made an official announcement about his return to politics. However, a source close to Bennett said a number of weeks ago that the decision had already been made. Bennett has outperformed Netanyahu in most polls recently in both the number of seats and suitability to serve as prime minister.
Replacing Defence Minister
Bennett criticized Netanyahu’s intention to replace Defense Minister Yoav Gallant with MK Gideon Sa’ar, saying “The Israeli public does not feel that this is the case, and I would hope that Israel’s leaders remember why they are there: to defend Israel, not to pursue personal interests.”
Bennett also criticized the prime minister’s leadership of the war, saying that Israel’s strategy should have been to use more force in order to shorten the campaign in Gaza, which has lasted for nearly a year.
“Win the war seriously or make a deal and fight another day,” Bennett said, adding that the “war of attrition is exactly what Iran wants.” According to Bennett, Iran wants to “slowly drain Israel of its energy and resources,” but Israel “should not play by their script.”
Bennett also called for crippling international sanctions on Iran, arguing that the sanctions, if done correctly, could topple the Ayatollah’s regime within three years.