Bennett refuses to rule out Netanyahu as future coalition partner in BILD interview

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 unclear whether or not Bennett would agree to join such a government if it was led by 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 him said several weeks ago that the decision had already been made. Bennett has outperformed Netanyahu in polls, specifically in both 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 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, which he said, if done correctly, could topple the Ayatollah’s regime within three years.