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Naftali Bennett

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walks outside his office at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, June 3, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
June 7, 2026, 7:40 am
Netanyahu recalculates his election strategy amid shattered regional dreams
The prime minister hoped to head to the polls as the victor of the Middle East, but a rebuke from Trump and ultra-Orthodox crises have imposed a new political reality
By Shalom Yerushalmi
Left to right: Former prime minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, May 20, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Opposition Leader Yesh Atid MK Yair Lapid leads a faction meeting at the Knesset on May 25, 2026 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party, speaks during a conference at Tel Aviv University, May 12, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90); Leader of the Democrats party Yair Golan leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on May 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset on May 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
June 5, 2026, 1:17 am
Poll shows anti-Netanyahu bloc winning majority; Eisenkot seen as best fit to be PM in separate survey
Zman Yisrael has Zionist opposition parties winning 62 seats, enough to form a government, though they would come short of a majority if all Arab factions run on joint slate
By ToI Staff
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri speaks with United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni in the Knesset, December 14, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
May 28, 2026, 11:10 pm
Plurality of far-right voters oppose government with ultra-Orthodox parties — poll
Likud is only Zionist party with majority of supporters in favor of coalition with ultra-Orthodox factions; 60% of Otzma Yehudit voters and 40% of Religious Zionism voters against idea
By Tal Schneider and ToI Staff
Left to right: Former prime minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem, May 20, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Opposition Leader Yesh Atid MK Yair Lapid leads a faction meeting at the Knesset on May 25, 2026 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party, speaks during a conference at Tel Aviv University, May 12, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90); Leader of the Democrats party Yair Golan leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on May 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90); Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset on May 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
May 27, 2026, 5:16 pm
Opposition party leaders spar over potential inclusion of Haredim in future coalition
Democrats’ Golan slammed after undated clip showed him saying he would sit with ultra-Orthodox if it was the only way to oust Netanyahu-led Likud and far-right; Lapid and Bennett vow no compromise on draft exemptions
By Sam Sokol
Screen capture from video of a right-wing protest outside the home of IDF Chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, May 24, 2026. (Social media, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
May 24, 2026, 8:50 am
Right-wing activists protest outside IDF chief’s house, call him ‘traitor’
Demonstrators angry at jailing of soldier who wore a controversial, unauthorized ‘Messiah’ patch on combat uniform; opposition figures blame government
By ToI Staff
Brig. Gen. Shay Tayeb, head of the IDF Personnel Directorate’s Planning and Personnel Management Division, at a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset, May 20, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
May 21, 2026, 12:03 am
Army complains of manpower shortage as Knesset restarts work on draft exemption bill
‘We will very soon reach the region of ​​80,000-90,000 draft dodgers,’ IDF official tells MKs, as PM launches last-ditch campaign to pass law sparing Haredim from conscription
By Sam Sokol
Yisrael Beytenu party chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on May 18, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
May 19, 2026, 7:31 pm
Liberman says his goal for the upcoming election is to become prime minister
Hawkish MK’s Yisrael Beytenu party polls at only around 9 seats; however, he rules out threatening to join Netanyahu for leverage
By Sam Sokol and ToI Staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) leads the weekly cabinet meeting on May 17, 2026 (Screenshot/GPO); Former prime minister Naftali Bennett arrives for a meeting with supporters in Jerusalem, May 13, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
May 18, 2026, 6:05 am
Report: Netanyahu revealed secret UAE visit to avoid being upstaged by election rival Bennett
Having learned Bennett was about to visit the Gulf nation, PM said to have rushed to publicize his own trip, enraging Abu Dhabi, which has denied it took place
By Stav Levaton
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen at a ceremony at Mount Herzl, for the Ethiopian Jews who died while making their way to Israel. May 14, 2026. (Gil Yohanan/POOL)
May 15, 2026, 1:43 am
Netanyahu said seeking to dissuade Haredi parties from backing September elections date
PM reportedly cites need to focus on Iran war; government said to be planning 5-year program to support ultra-Orthodox community; poll again predicts inconclusive elections
By Stav Levaton, Rossella Tercatin and Sam Sokol
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, left, and former prime minister Naftali Bennett embrace during a rally of their joint party Together in Tel Aviv on May 12, 2026. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
May 13, 2026, 1:52 am
At new party’s first rally, Bennett vows to ‘unite the nation’ and enact constitution
Former premier says Likud founders ‘rolling in their graves’ at what party has become under Netanyahu; Lapid: Merger with Bennett is about ‘restoring hope to the country’
By Sam Sokol and ToI Staff
L-R: Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot seen during a visit to Kibbutz Yiftah near the Israeli border with Lebanon, March 9, 2026. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90); opposition leader and head of the Yesh Atid party MK Yair Lapid in the Knesset, March 30, 2026. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90); former prime minister Naftali Bennett attends a funeral at the Military Cemetery in Beit She'an on April 9, 2026. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)
May 10, 2026, 4:55 pm
Eisenkot says Bennett-Lapid uniting without him is ‘not how you build partnerships’
Yashar chairman tells party activists he wanted to join merger, condensing Zionist opposition into three separate slates representing left, right and center
By Sam Sokol
Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar at the opening of the Israeli Cartoon Museum in the city of Holon, February 10, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
May 10, 2026, 1:04 pm
Likud minister claims Hamas ‘hatched’ Oct. 7 attack during Bennett-Lapid government
Zohar says Sinwar planned onslaught when he saw ‘weakness’; Bennett accuses government of campaign to ‘evade responsibility,’ promises state inquiry; Lapid: Government should be ‘ashamed’
By Ariela Karmel and ToI Staff
MKs Avigdor Liberman (front right) and Gadi Eisenkot (bottom left) in the Knesset, September 9, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
May 8, 2026, 11:28 am
Eisenkot-Liberman merger would be biggest faction, could boost opposition – survey
Polls essentially unchanged since last week, with Zman showing Zionist opposition with narrow majority; Reservists’ Hendel reportedly in touch with Gantz about joint run
By ToI Staff and Tal Schneider
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, left, and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid announcing their joint run in the coming elections, in Herzliya, central Israel, April 26, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
May 8, 2026, 4:59 am
Star-crossed bromance? Bennett and Lapid aim to unify Israel, but electoral heavens may not align
Bennett is distrusted by many, while Lapid is seen as left-wing. Their bond, apparently genuine, may not be enough to heal the country’s rifts or unseat Netanyahu
By Ben Sales
Then-prime minister Naftali Bennett and MK Idit Silman in the Knesset, June 13, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
May 7, 2026, 9:17 pm
Bennett sues former ally, now a Likud minister, for libel over claim he is mentally unwell
Religious Zionism MK, right-wing TV channel also included in suit, for spreading Idit Silman’s comments asserting Bennett was heavily medicated, unstable during his time as PM
By Jeremy Sharon and Shira Silkoff
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