Liberman and Bennett meet in bid to forge new right-wing bloc, but who would lead it?
After former Mossad chief Cohen said to decide not to enter politics, Hebrew media abuzz over possible formation of conservative mega-party to oppose current government
Shalom Yerushalmi is the political analyst for Zman Israel, The Times of Israel’s Hebrew current affairs website
The formation of a new right-wing bloc in opposition to the current government has been proving elusive, with questions lingering as to who would lead the potential conservative mega-party.
On Wednesday morning, Israeli journalists shared photos of former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman meeting over coffee in central Tel Aviv, credited to the latter’s office.
A television poll last month found that more Israelis believe Bennett is better suited to be prime minister than long-serving incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu, in a head-to-head matchup.
Bennett has been out of office since announcing he was leaving politics following the 2022 collapse of his diverse coalition government, which a year earlier ousted Netanyahu from the premiership after 12 consecutive years in the post amid political turmoil that included four national elections in three years.
Bennett has recently hinted at making a comeback, as Netanyahu’s grip on power appears increasingly shaky amid the ongoing war sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack and as his coalition is torn over contentious legislative proposals backed by his ultra-Orthodox allies.
Liberman, for his part, predicted on Monday that Netanyahu would dissolve the Knesset and call for fresh elections in November.
At this point, it looks like Bennett and Liberman will run on separate tickets, because neither is willing to give up the first place in any new right-wing bloc to the other.
“Liberman will not be anyone’s number two,” a source told the Times of Israel’s Hebrew sister site, Zman Israel, on Tuesday. “He has been polling at 14 seats for six months, and maybe he will get more. None of the others bring such a jackpot. Bennett is always strong in the polls, but in practice, not much happens.”
On Monday, Channel 12 news reported that former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen had decided not to enter politics, after months of speculation about whether he would form a new right-wing party ahead of the next election.
Cohen was said to have told his associates, “Bennett, Liberman and [Gideon] Sa’ar are not ready to enter the same room and talk.”
The report speculated that Cohen had decided to hold off on his political ambitions as he was unlikely to be selected to lead a potential right-wing bloc over Bennett or Liberman.
Cohen’s decision could also be connected to a notice he and four other individuals — including Netanyahu — received from a state commission of inquiry investigating the so-called submarine affair last month, warning that he may be negatively impacted by the probe’s findings that his conduct had jeopardized national security.
The commission, formed under Bennett in 2022, has spent more than two years probing submarine and naval vessel purchases that occurred under a previous Netanyahu government.
Former Likud minister Sa’ar, on the other hand, appears to be willing to be number three on the right-wing bloc’s leadership, having made it clear that he is open to making concessions.
“I do not want to say that I have already given up my ego. I am saying simply that if the goal is important, I will make personal concessions for the sake of unity,” he said in May.
Elsewhere on the right, a recent poll found that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, is the preferred candidate among supporters of the coalition parties to lead the right-wing bloc after Netanyahu is no longer in politics.
The Maariv survey found that 24 percent of respondents prefer Ben Gvir, followed by ex-Mossad chief Cohen (14%) and Bezalel Smotrich, head of the fellow far-right Religious Zionism party (11%).
Translated and adapted from the original on The Times of Israel’s Hebrew site Zman Yisrael. Sam Sokol contributed.
