From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Naftali Bennett adds Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio to his campaign team
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. 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 announces that he is adding in two top American political consultants to his campaign team ahead of the 2026 Knesset election, including a pollster and adviser to US President Donald Trump.
In a statement, Bennett’s spokesman announces that he will be working with the pollster, Tony Fabrizio, as well as political strategist George Birnbaum. Israeli politicians frequently use US political consultants ahead of national elections.
“Fabrizio, who brings experience from five US presidential election cycles, served as a pollster and adviser to President Trump during his two campaigns and continues to serve as his adviser during President Trump’s current term. Additionally, Fabrizio has worked with dozens of senators, members of Congress, and governors, and has been involved in numerous national election campaigns around the globe,” Bennett’s spokesperson says in a statement.
Birnbaum was a longtime associate of American strategist Arthur Finkelstein, a conservative campaign strategist widely credited as a driving force behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s first campaign in 1996. He worked with Bennett ahead of the 2021 Israeli national election, which led to the creation of a short-lived anti-Netanyahu coalition that was led by Bennett for more than a year.
The Times of Israel Community.