JOIN USWho is Naftali Bennett, Netanyahu’s likely successor as Israel PM?
Benjamin Netanyahu could be toppled by a coalition of ideologically-varied opposition parties in coming weeks after a 12-year stint as Israel’s prime minister that was marred by charges of corruption and involved four deadlocked elections.
Though the so-called “unity government” will have to be ratified by parliament, the deal currently on the table would see far-right leader Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid share the prime minister’s office in rotation, with Bennett likely to be Netanyahu’s immediate successor.
Bennett’s views
Naftali Bennett, 49, is a modern-Orthodox religious Jew and the son of American Jewish immigrant parents. He holds far-right views and vigorously opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, instead espousing a plan to extend Israel’s authority into about 60 percent of the West Bank.
Bennett has also voiced support for more Jewish control over the Temple Mount compound, the holiest site in both Judaism and Islam, in Jerusalem’s contested Old City.
In an interview with the Times of Israel in February, Bennett said, “I’m more right-wing than Bibi (Netanyahu), but I don’t use hate or polarization as a tool to promote myself politically.”
Tech millionaire to defence minister
Bennett is also a tech millionaire, having built his own start-up, an anti-fraud software company that he sold to a US-based security firm for $145 million in 2005.
Bennett made his foray into Israeli politics in 2006 and served as a senior aide to Netanyahu until 2008 when he quit the role on reportedly unpleasant terms with the prime minister. In 2013, he returned to Israeli politics as the leader of the far-right Jewish Home party that he had helped revamp and went on to serve as minister of defence, minister of education and minister of economy in the Netanyahu government.
‘Kingmaker’
In the latest March elections, Bennett’s Yamina party, which also includes the New Right party, managed to claim seven seats in parliament.
Though far behind both Netanyahu's and Lapid's parties in terms of seats, Bennett has been crowned “kingmaker” by some spectators as the seats his party controls could be critical to any coalition crossing the majority mark in Israel’s 120-seat parliament.