Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday he does not intend to serve under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a future government, declaring that Israel needs new leadership after what he described as a national failure following the October 7 attacks.
Speaking at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Bennett responded to recent attacks from both the right and left suggesting he would join a Netanyahu-led coalition after the next election.
“I will not allow a leadership that has failed to continue,” Bennett said. “I intend to lead Israel into its next chapter, stronger.” He added that Israel “will not survive” if it remains divided and argued that after three decades in power and “the greatest disaster in Israel’s history” occurring on his watch, a leader must know when to step aside.
In recent days, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said Bennett would “crawl” into a Netanyahu government. Opposition leader Yair Lapid also questioned whether Bennett could be trusted not to join such a coalition, urging voters to support his Yesh Atid party.
Lapid said defeating Netanyahu would require a unified and powerful opposition machine ahead of what he called the most critical elections in Israel’s history.
Meanwhile, Avigdor Lieberman wrote to Bennett, Lapid, Yair Golan and Gadi Eisenkot, demanding commitments not to rely on Arab parties or cooperate with Netanyahu under any rotation or power-sharing arrangement.