Bennett's Gaffe: Former PM Claims He Was IDF Chief of Staff

Naftali Bennett, chairman of the "Achadut" party and former Prime Minister, made a significant verbal slip during a live radio interview on Wednesday. When asked if he trusted the head of the Mossad, Roman Gofman, and the Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, to prevent an unnecessary military operation against Iran before the upcoming elections, Bennett responded, "I don't know Gofman, I've known Eyal Zamir for many years. We worked together for years, also when I was Defense Minister, also when I was Chief of Staff, and also during Protective Edge." Bennett has never served as the IDF Chief of Staff, though he previously held the positions of Prime Minister and Defense Minister. The interviewers, Yaron Avraham and Moriyah Asraf, reportedly did not directly address the gaffe. Asraf later re-asked about trust in the Mossad chief, to which Bennett replied he simply didn't know him and had no opinion.

This incident follows a pattern of Bennett making contradictory statements. Last week, he addressed a report in "Haaretz" alleging that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a warning from UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed prior to the October 7th massacre. In an interview with Galatz, Bennett initially claimed ignorance of the report. However, just one hour later, in an interview with Radio 103FM, he stated the report was true, claiming Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed had warned Netanyahu that Sinwar was planning an operation. The Prime Minister's office vehemently denied the report, calling it a "complete lie" and stating Netanyahu did not speak with the UAE president or receive any warning.

Bennett's shifting stances have drawn criticism, with one social media post labeling him "the greatest swindler and megalomaniac in the history of politics." Another post referred to his "spectacular zigzagging."