Bennett Says He Would Work Under Eisenkot to Unseat the Government

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday on 103FM that he would do whatever it takes to replace what he called the “very bad” government, even if that means serving under Gadi Eisenkot. “I have only respect for Eisenkot, we will sit together in government, the public will decide,” Bennett said. “I will do anything in the world to replace this very bad government, I will do everything and I will not let ego be a factor.”

Bennett also called on Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party, to meet and reach unity. “Let’s go into a room and not leave it until there is a merger,” he said, adding a reference to Yosef Trumpeldor and saying that if necessary he would be “a wheel” for the Zionist cause. Bennett acknowledged his recent drop in polls, saying he sees the surveys and does not deny them, but is fighting every day for public trust. “We need to lead moves on a Ben-Gurion scale, otherwise we do not have a state,” he said.

The remarks came amid reports that Bennett was considering breaking up his partnership with Yair Lapid. Bennett denied the claims and said, “Yair and I speak every day. I stand by my claim that only if we run united will we win.” Earlier Tuesday, Lapid called the reports “fake news from anonymous sources,” saying they were meant to harm anything that threatens those behind them.

The comments followed a Channel 12 poll last week that for the first time showed a tie between Bennett’s unified party and Eisenkot’s party. A separate in-depth poll published on “Ulpan Shishi” found that among the general public, 33% think Eisenkot is better suited to be prime minister and 21% prefer Bennett. Among voters in the anti-Netanyahu bloc, 48% preferred Eisenkot versus 27% for Bennett.