Bennett-hired HR expert reportedly vetting potential candidates for new party

Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett speaks at an Israel Hayom conference, August 14, 2024. (Screenshot, used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett speaks at an Israel Hayom conference, August 14, 2024. (Screenshot, used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett has begun the process of vetting potential candidates for a new party, enlisting the help of a senior human resources expert from the private sector, Channel 12 reports.

Bennett’s HR hire is said to have begun interviewing people as part of a preliminary effort to avoid repeating past mistakes. During the short-lived Bennett-Lapid government, MK Amichai Chikli of Bennett’s Yamina party deserted, followed by coalition whip Idit Silman, whose exit destroyed the coalition’s majority.

Last month, Channel 12 reported that Bennett has been in the process of forming a new political party, with organizers beginning to reach out to his old voter base to inquire about support and find activists willing to volunteer in the field as the party finds its footing.

According to a poll by the network published two weeks ago, if the former prime minister returned to politics and ran in the next election, Likud would remain the largest party at 23 seats, with Bennett’s party coming in at 20 and Gantz’s at 13.

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