Naftali Bennett Unveils New Security Vision: 'Dismantle the Haredi State' and Shift Northern Strategy

Naftali Bennett, chairman of the 'Together' party, presented his party's security vision at a special conference on August 18, 2026. Bennett emphasized the growing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in national defense, stating that AI capabilities will soon surpass nuclear weapons in significance. He criticized the current government's lag in this area and vowed that Israel would not fall behind in the AI arms race.

Bennett proposed a fundamental shift in Israel's northern security equation, declaring that any attack by Hezbollah on Israel would trigger a direct Israeli strike on Iran. He warned that targeting Iranian operatives within Israel would lead to retaliatory measures inside Iran itself.

Continuing his criticism of the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) sector, Bennett condemned the exemption of approximately 100,000 healthy Haredi youths from military service, which he linked to a shortage of 20,000 soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces. He pledged that under his leadership, all eligible individuals would be drafted without exemptions or political compromises. Bennett also attacked former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot's approach to recruitment, predicting it would fail to increase Haredi enlistment.

On education, Bennett highlighted that a third of first graders in Israel do not study core subjects such as English, math, and Zionism, primarily in the Haredi sector. He promised a revolution in education with a unified, high-quality state system for all Israeli children, including Haredim, and vowed to stop funding institutions that do not teach these essential subjects.

Bennett outlined four security misconceptions he intends to correct: reversing the current reactive stance toward Iran and Hezbollah; designating Qatar as an enemy state; removing Turkey and Qatar's influence from Gaza and replacing it with Egypt; and treating the proliferation of illegal weapons within Israel as a security threat requiring military and Shin Bet intervention, including declaring affected areas as closed military zones until cleared.