Political columnist Daphne Liel argues that Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardest political week since the October 7 massacre came not from his rivals’ strength, but from their disarray. She says the bloc opposing him is consumed by internal fighting, while Netanyahu is also making another concession to the ultra-Orthodox, even as his own camp grows frustrated with that pressure.
The article focuses on Naftali Bennett’s attempt to position himself as the alternative leader, despite polls showing Gadi Eisenkot ahead of him in mandates. Bennett recently held a press conference after the understandings with Iran, but much of it was dominated by questions about his rivalry with Eisenkot. Asked directly whether he would demand the premiership even if Eisenkot won more seats, Bennett avoided a clear answer and said he is the most suitable and experienced candidate, adding that whenever the change bloc put a non-right-wing figure at the top, it lost.
Liel notes that Bennett defines victory as 61 Zionist mandates. If Eisenkot can reach that threshold and lead the bloc, Bennett would have little room to object. If Eisenkot beats him but falls short of 61, Bennett could argue that there is no real victory and that an ideologically balanced, right-wing prime minister is needed. Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman is also watching closely, since he has said he will not support another deal in which a candidate with few mandates demands the premiership as a condition for joining.
The article says Bennett remains dangerous in negotiations because of his record, including helping himself become prime minister in 2021 after joining a coalition and previously extracting key portfolios from Netanyahu with very small representation. But Netanyahu’s situation is still described as worse. Internal polling reportedly shows him heading toward defeat, while his coalition partners, the ultra-Orthodox, fear voter apathy and want more protection. Netanyahu is trying to satisfy them with a new arrangement that would spare draft evaders from arrest for a year, replacing an earlier, harsher financial sanction over daycare subsidies. In parallel, a Basic Law on Torah study is advancing as a legal shield that could help protect such measures from possible High Court of Justice rejection.
