Naftali Bennett Outlines New Security Vision: Remove Turkey and Qatar, Bring Egypt Into Gaza

Naftali Bennett, former Prime Minister of Israel and current leader of the "Together" party, presented his security strategy for a future government under his leadership during a special party conference on Wednesday. Bennett emphasized the growing importance of artificial intelligence capabilities, stating they could soon surpass the significance of nuclear weapons.

Bennett criticized the current Netanyahu government's security approach, proposing several key changes. First, he challenged the existing equation that Iran only retaliates against Israel in response to attacks in Lebanon, suggesting instead that any Hezbollah fire should trigger Israeli strikes directly on Iran. He also called for redefining Qatar as an enemy state, arguing that failure to recognize this after the October 7 attacks disqualifies one from leading Israel.

Regarding Gaza, Bennett condemned the current arrangement allowing Turkey and Qatar to oversee the Gaza envelope residents and control the peace council. He proposed expelling Turkey and Qatar from Gaza's affairs and replacing them with Egypt, while maintaining Israel's freedom of operation in the area. Lastly, Bennett highlighted the issue of approximately 500,000 illegal weapons circulating within Israel, advocating for treating this as a security threat rather than a criminal matter. He recommended deploying the IDF and Shin Bet to declare weapon-heavy areas as closed military zones until cleared.

Bennett's proposals mark a significant shift in Israel's security doctrine, focusing on proactive measures against regional adversaries and internal threats, and reshaping Israel's relationships with neighboring countries involved in Gaza's governance.