The right-wing chairman had a public image of an idealistic and honest man • He is about to lose it due to the moves with which he plans to harm, and even overthrow, Prime Minister • Opinion
According to reports from people who spoke with Naftali Bennett or Ayelet Shaked last week, the two are locked up.
They are going to form a government, and no one will change their mind.
MK Bennett, last week: "I will work to establish a unity government" // Photo: Knesset Channel
Even against the backdrop of the US return to the nuclear deal, there is a slight scent of coup from the parliamentary exercise that turns a pair of politicians whose public rejection of the leadership into the election, into prime ministers.
What Naftali Bennett had as a public asset in his image is a nucleus of idealism and honesty.
He is losing it these days in favor of his new image as a politician engaged in political intrigue.
As someone who has been following his path in politics not really closely since he was elected to the Knesset, I have noticed that he is planning moves designed to harm the prime minister and even overthrow him.
The blatant incident I remember was in the spring of 2014, when I told him in a phone call that it looked like he wanted to submit Netanyahu's head to President Obama and Noni Mozes.
After Joe Biden was sworn in as president, Bennett said in an interview with Channel 20: "He really loves Israel. The Iranian issue, there is a very big opportunity here ... There is insane power of sanctions imposed by Trump. And it's like stepping on their feet. We have to work. With the administration to shape the conditions for a return to the deal ... ".
Since Bennett, like Gideon Saar, is also a kind of permanent attachment to the INSS activities, in retrospect it seems that the things he said convey a line with the Biden administration.
He denies the strategy led by President Trump and Netanyahu.
All this is quite hidden from the public, because Bennett did not speak of any principled position.
He sounds like he is unaware that there is no deal that the Iranian regime will accept other than the removal of sanctions in full.
The problem is with the ayatollahs' regime, not with the amount of uranium enriched.
The position of the head of the INSS coming out after the explosion in Natanz was as if a mega-attack had taken place on Dizengoff Street.
What they are trying to hide is that unlike in the past, Israel has already proven that it can delay the Iranian nuclear project or destroy it in large parts of it.
Bennett is not interested.
On the Gaza issue, Bennett's plan is to evacuate southerners and let the Air Force operate for three days.
It is hard to believe that about three years ago he torpedoed Netanyahu's plan to deport about 16,000 infiltrators from south Tel Aviv.
Now Bennett and Shaked want to join the left-wing parties that embrace the infiltrators.
In the longer term, Bennett and Shaked are now being pushed to the left.
Strategic advisers must be telling them: the next election may come pretty quickly anyway - it's a big advantage to get them from the prime minister's position.
But it is highly doubtful that this is possible.
It can be assumed that General Yair Golan, who now opposes Bennett, will be flexible.
On the eve of his entry into politics, he accused Bennett of politicizing him as soon as he entered the security cabinet.
Bennett, according to Golan, corrupted the discussions in the security cabinet, leaked and caused an unprecedented situation, in which the ministers began speaking to the headlines of next week or to the minutes of the commissions of inquiry.
