Bennett intensifies attacks, says Netanyahu only concerned with his trial
As his Yamina party surges in polls, PM’s right-wing rival further hints at his intention to vie for national leadership if elections are called again soon
Naftali Bennett, head of the right-wing Yamina party, launched a scathing attack against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday for the second time in three days, further signaling his possible intention to challenge the longtime premier in future elections.
Snubbed and cold-shouldered for years by Netanyahu, Bennett has intensified his rhetoric against the government in recent days, after criticizing the country’s coronavirus response ever since he ended up in the opposition following the March elections. He is a thorn in Netanyahu’s right flank, and seen by some as a possible challenger to the prime minister in future elections, along with opposition leader Yair Lapid.
On Monday, Bennett alleged for the first time that Netanyahu was only focused on his own legal woes and personal needs, a charge frequently made by centrist and left-wing politicians but not heard thus far from prominent right-wing figures.
“I think Netanyahu has done many good things,” Bennett said during an interview at a conference organized by the right-wing Besheva newspaper and broadcast online. “[But] I think his head is no longer in the coronavirus [crisis], in the economy or in managing the state’s matters.”
“I am saying something significant… He is not focused. Bibi is not the public’s enemy,” Bennett said, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “I think he has done well and that his head today is not in the state’s affairs — he is too busy with other things.”
Asked if he was referring to Netanyahu’s trial, Bennett answered: “Yes, his [personal] needs. You see it.”
Asked repeatedly whether he intends to announce he is running for prime minister if elections are called later this year or early next year, as is widely expected, Bennett said: “Everything in its own time. When there are elections, I will say very clearly who should lead the State of Israel. I don’t need to jump ahead now without a reason.”
Netanyahu’s Likud party reacted by attacking Bennett and his Yamina No. 2 Bezalel Smotrich, who has been similarly criticizing the government recently.
“As long as Bennett and his partner Smotrich had the job they wanted, they explained why Netanyahu is an excellent prime minister,” Likud said in a statement, referring to Bennett’s being a member of Netanyahu’s governments in 2013-2020.
“From the moment they didn’t, they have been attacking him every day from the bleachers. Instead of tweeting, Bennett and Smotrich are welcome to join the government and practice what they have been preaching.”
The broadsides came with Yamina surging in recent polls, to some 19 seats from its current six, as Israelis have soured on the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic amid a severe second wave outbreak.
Netanyahu and Bennett’s relations have been reported as cool for years, long before Bennett was left out of the latest coalition. Bennett has continued to support his premiership regardless, until now.
On Friday, Bennett launched a separate blistering attack against Netanyahu, accusing the premier of opposing him due to fear and personal enmity at the expense of voters. In a fiery interview with Channel 12, Bennett continued his ongoing criticism of the government’s handling of pandemic, and stepped up his personal accusations against the premier.
When asked what Netanyahu had against him personally, Bennett said, “You’re asking if it’s personal? The answer is yes. I always avoided talking about it.
“First of all I want to say I respect Prime Minister Netanyahu very much. Israel won out by having him as our prime minister for such a long time. He did great things for the benefit of Israel,” Bennett said.
He added, however, that Netanyahu had attacked him, his parents and his wife.
“Bibi has something personal against me,” Bennett said. “I submitted a plan [when I was defense minister] to defeat the coronavirus on March 29 to the prime minister, and he did not implement it — and he knew it was right — because he was afraid of me, that I would succeed.
“Because he didn’t implement that plan at the time, hundreds of thousands of people are suffering,” Bennett charged.
As defense minister in the last government, Bennett urged the prime minister to give more responsibility to the army for grappling with COVID-19 and drew up a strategic plan that he claims Netanyahu ignored because of the political rivalry between them — and which he says is near-identical to the one now belatedly being followed by Israel’s recently appointed coronavirus czar Ronni Gamzu.
A poll earlier this month found that Netanyahu was considered by 37 percent of respondents as best suited to serve as prime minister, followed by 19% for Bennett, 15% for Lapid and only 10% for Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
The governing coalition narrowly avoided a collapse last week when it passed legislation a couple of hours before a midnight deadline, that gives the government until December 23 to pass a state budget.
Though elections have been averted for now, many analysts believe the government is still on life support and will not pass a budget or survive beyond the next deadline.
