Bennett Blasts Netanyahu Over Iran Deal and Calls for Political Change

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held a press conference on Monday evening, following a morning attack on the new U.S.-Iran agreement, which he said was signed over Israel’s head. He argued that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government began in “civil war,” continued with the October 7 massacre, and is ending in a historic failure against Iran. Bennett spoke about half an hour before Netanyahu’s own statement.

Bennett praised what he called the courage and ingenuity shown by Israeli soldiers and the security services during the “1,000-day war,” but said the leadership had disappointed. Addressing Israelis, he said he understood their frustration, fear, and pain, but urged them to “lift your head,” insisting, “It does not have to be like this. There will be good here again.”

He said that if he were in charge, he would use every diplomatic advantage only for Israel’s interests, return to a doctrine of fast and decisive wars, rebuild the National Public Diplomacy Directorate he created as prime minister, and impose universal military service while ending funding for draft evasion. Bennett also said he would revive his “octopus doctrine” against Iran, combining military pressure with diplomatic, economic, technological, and military tools to hasten the collapse of the Iranian regime.

Bennett said the “regime clock” in Iran would start once Israel’s government is replaced, and predicted that Israelis would soon choose a new, energetic, determined leadership. He also said he would not break up his alliance with Yair Lapid, arguing that unity helps the anti-Netanyahu bloc. On the question of leading the government without being the largest party, he said, “I think I am the most suitable person,” adding that he alone can look Netanyahu “in the whites of the eyes and win.”

Earlier, a senior American official said Donald Trump, JD Vance, and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had effectively signed a memorandum of understanding. The official said the deal’s details would be published within 24 to 48 hours, include the immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the American blockade, and that Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon would not be a condition of the agreement. Israel, the official said, would retain the right to defend itself against Hezbollah attacks.