Amid falling polls and a struggle with Yesh Atid chief Gadi Eisenkot over leadership of the opposition bloc, Yamina chairman Naftali Bennett presented what he called a “new deal” for what he described as fixing Israel across economics, security, education, ultra-Orthodox enlistment and foreign affairs.
Bennett said that if he forms a coalition or joins one, he would cut food prices by 30%, provide public education at a private-school level, and carry out a sweeping overhaul of parts of the state system. He did not detail funding sources for all elements of the plan. On the economy, he said, “There will be a new deal in the economy,” and vowed a “war of extermination” on food cartels.
He singled out Bright Food, the Chinese owner of Tnuva, claiming it told Israeli management to raise prices and keep squeezing consumers. “Foreign actors have penetrated the food market, and they are succeeding, because there is no competition,” he said. “We will dismantle them and lower prices.” He also told the Chinese owners of Tnuva, Shufersal, Unilever, Diplomat and others that “on my first day in office, the party is over.”
Bennett’s plan reflects polling he says shows inflation and the cost of the shopping basket are among the public’s biggest concerns. He also promised to dismantle what he called an outdated Education Ministry, replacing the “1948” model with a new 2026 version, while avoiding details on clashes with teachers’ organizations and repeated strikes. In the platform, he wrote that Israeli education should operate more like private education, with a fundamentally new approach. The plan also calls for a shift in security doctrine from “attrition and dragging things out” to decisive victory, stronger international positioning through dedicated teams, and a new arrangement for civil service in which “bottlenecks and bureaucracy” are ended and public agencies deliver “high-tech standards.” On ultra-Orthodox conscription, he said, “We will study together, serve together and work together, and anyone who does not, will not receive a shekel from the state.”
