Former Israeli PM Bennett admits breaking coalition promise
Former Israeli Prime Minister and leader of the B'Yachad party Naftali Bennett acknowledged that he broke his campaign promise not to form a government with the participation of Mansour Abbas's Arab Ra'am party in 2021. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, he said he could not change the past but believes the decision at the time was right for the country.
Bennett is now holding informal meetings with voters in different Israeli cities, including supporters of the right-wing camp, who accuse him of abandoning his own principles. He said he agrees with the criticism over the broken promise and is trying to explain the motives behind his decision.
Conditions for a future coalition
The former head of government said that after October 7, he sees no possibility for non-Zionist parties to participate in a future Israeli government. He stressed that this concerns not politicians' ethnic origin, but their position on Zionism.
Bennett also called the introduction of national service for everyone a mandatory condition for the next government. In his view, people who evade service should not receive state funding. As the publication notes, such criteria could make the participation of ultra-Orthodox parties in the coalition almost impossible, although Bennett did not explicitly say he would refuse to cooperate with them.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Haredi service and education
Bennett named the integration of ultra-Orthodox Jews, or Haredim, into the army and labor market as one of the key tasks of his political program. By his estimate, about 1.5 million Haredim live in Israel, and maintaining state support without broader participation by this community in work and military service poses a long-term problem.
The politician proposes establishing ultra-Orthodox yeshivas near the borders with Jordan and Egypt, where Torah study would be combined with service, guard duty and patrols. He also supports vocational training for Haredim and reform of their education. In particular, Bennett wants to create state ultra-Orthodox schools where 60% of the curriculum would consist of English, mathematics, Hebrew, the Bible and Zionism, while 40% — mainly for boys — would be devoted to Talmud study.
Differences with Netanyahu
Bennett said his approach to the Gaza Strip fundamentally differs from that of Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Bennett, Netanyahu pursued a policy of containment regarding rocket fire, incendiary balloons and border riots, while he himself adhered to a zero-tolerance policy.
Bennett also criticized the decision to allow the monthly transfer of $30 million in cash from Qatar for Hamas. He said that after becoming prime minister in June 2021, he ended this practice and replaced it with prepaid cards for families in Gaza that Israel could track. At the same time, Bennett acknowledged that he did not solve the Gaza problem and did not anticipate the attack scenario that occurred on October 7. He also said he does not support imprisoning Netanyahu and believes he should be pardoned.
