Naftali Bennett Unveils Security Vision, Criticizes Netanyahu and Gadi Eizenkot Ahead of Elections

Naftali Bennett, chairman of the Yachdav party, presented his security strategy on Wednesday during a party conference ahead of the upcoming elections. He sharply criticized the current government, stating that the security collapse on October 7 was not only a failure at the Gaza defense line but a collapse of an entire security concept instilled by Netanyahu over the years. Bennett vowed to overturn four key security paradigms if elected, including reversing the equation that Iran only retaliates for attacks in Lebanon by promising Israeli strikes on Iran for any Hezbollah fire.

Bennett also declared Qatar a hostile state, rejecting Netanyahu's characterization of it as "complex," and pledged to remove Turkey and Qatar's influence from Gaza, replacing them with Egypt while maintaining freedom of action in the area. Addressing internal security, he promised to treat the half a million illegal weapons in Israel as a security threat, deploying the IDF and Shin Bet to declare areas with weapons as closed military zones until cleared.

On military service, Bennett criticized the current shortage of 20,000 soldiers and the exemption of 100,000 healthy ultra-Orthodox youths from service. He opposed any draft exemptions, including a 30% exemption proposal supported by Yoram Cohen, a member of Gadi Eizenkot’s party, warning it would lead to no ultra-Orthodox enlistment. Bennett pledged to build a larger, more proactive army and emphasized the importance of artificial intelligence as the future of military power.

Following Bennett, Yair Lapid, his deputy, outlined foreign policy goals for the next government, blaming the current crisis on Israeli government negligence and arrogance. Lapid opposed Netanyahu’s decision to forgo American aid and proposed restoring bipartisan U.S. support, rebuilding ties with Europe and NATO, strengthening relations with the Jewish diaspora, and improving regional integration with Egypt and the UAE. He also stressed the importance of preventing uranium enrichment in Saudi Arabia and managing tensions with Turkey and Qatar, which Bennett had labeled an enemy state. Lapid emphasized the need for a professional, modern Israeli public diplomacy effort targeting young audiences globally.