Bennett calls for ‘new leadership,’ indicates not willing to form gov’t with Netanyahu

Bennett’s remarks come ahead of the upcoming elections and amid recent speculation regarding his stance on forming a government with Netanyahu.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday that Israel needed “new leadership” following the October 7 Hamas attacks, indicating that he would not be willing to form a government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I will not allow failed leadership to continue. I intend to lead Israel into its next chapter, stronger,” he said, and warned that the government was overlooking a threat from Turkey.

Bennett’s remarks come ahead of the upcoming elections and amid recent speculation regarding his stance on forming a government with Netanyahu. He made the statements during a speech at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem.

“The next chapter must be written by new leadership, without the same people who are responsible for the disaster,” Bennett said.

“I must tell the truth: Israel’s current leadership has divided us and is dividing us even now, more than ever.”

“After three decades since coming to power, and after the greatest disaster in Israel’s history occurred on his watch, a leader must know when to step aside with dignity,” Bennett said without mentioning Netanyahu by name.

Bennett is the leading competitor in the race for Israel’s next prime minister. His party, Bennett 2026, has been trailing Netanyahu’s Likud in recent polls ahead of elections set to take place no later than the end of October.

Netanyahu is among the only major officials who have not resigned following the October 7 massacre. The political echelon has repeatedly blocked a state inquiry into the events surrounding the attacks, despite polls showing huge public support for this type of investigation.

Bennett warns about Turkish threat

Bennett also warned that Turkey was becoming the newest threat to Israel that the government is not aware of, during his speech at the conference.

He said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “is a sophisticated and dangerous rival who seeks to encircle Israel. We must not close our eyes again.”

“While the current government is once again asleep, there are troubling signs around us of a growing radical threat on our borders: a hostile Muslim Brotherhood axis with a Pakistani nuclear rear, led by an ambitious and hostile Turkey.”

“We must act in different ways, but simultaneously against the threat from Tehran and against the hostility from Ankara,” Bennett said. “Turkey is the New Iran.”

Recent criticism of Bennett has centered on claims that he would be willing to join a government led by Netanyahu. On Monday, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) said that only his party could be trusted to form a government without Netanyahu.

MK Mickey Levy (Yesh Atid) echoed those concerns, saying in a Tuesday interview with 103FM that Bennett may ultimately agree to join a government with Netanyahu.