Bennett Rejects Netanyahu in Future Government After Coalition Partner Backlash

Naftali Bennett, chairman of the "Achva" party, clarified Sunday that he would not serve with Benjamin Netanyahu in any future government scenario, backtracking on an earlier statement that suggested Netanyahu could serve as a minister. Bennett's initial remarks, made at an election event, proposed that Netanyahu could be a minister in his government "as long as we accept the fundamental principles." This statement immediately drew sharp criticism from potential coalition partners, including Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of "Yisrael Beiteinu," and Yair Golan, chairman of "HaDemokratim."

Lieberman stated unequivocally that Netanyahu would not be part of the next government, not even in a minor role. Golan echoed this sentiment, declaring that his party would not allow Netanyahu to serve in any capacity, citing Netanyahu's alleged responsibility for the October 7th failures and the promotion of judicial overhaul. "We will not sit with Netanyahu and his partners. Period," Golan asserted.

The controversy erupted just weeks after leaders of the bloc, including Bennett, Yair Lapid, Gadi Eisenkot, Lieberman, and Golan, attempted to present a united front. Following internal disputes, they met on September 26th, issued a joint principles document, and pledged to cease mutual attacks, establishing working teams for inter-party coordination.

Despite these efforts at unity, significant unresolved issues remain, such as the candidate to lead the bloc as prime minister and the composition of a potential coalition. Eisenkot had previously demanded pre-established rules for selecting the leading candidate, a move opposed by Bennett and Lieberman. The question of whether to include Netanyahu in a future government was also a point of contention prior to Bennett's latest statement.