Bennett Slams Netanyahu Over Draft and Budget Deadlock

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett sharply attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday evening, after reports that ultra-Orthodox party leaders Aryeh Deri and Moshe Gafni had delivered another ultimatum to him. According to those reports, they would not vote with the coalition unless there is an immediate solution to the budget, the conscription law, and issues involving daycare centers.

Bennett accused Netanyahu of “selling the country’s future to Haredi operatives while sending our sons into Lebanon with their hands tied.” He added, “It stings the eyes and burns the heart. Netanyahu is no longer capable of anything.”

The criticism came amid growing public and political pressure on the government after the reports that Deri and Gafni told Netanyahu their patience had run out. They are demanding progress on sector-specific legislation despite heightened public sensitivity during the war, while reserve and regular soldiers continue to bear a heavy burden in Lebanon.

Bennett also hinted at a possible return to politics and an election campaign soon, saying, “Soon we will enter into a new agreement between the state and its citizens, in which we will repair the state from the ground up.”