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Naftali Bennett

About Naftali Bennett

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Who is Naftali Bennett?

Naftali Bennett is Israel's 13th Prime Minister. He served under Benjamin Netanyahu as the Chief of Staff for Netanyahu until 2008 and together with Ayelet Shaked, he co-founded the My Israel extra-parliamentary movement in 2011. Bennett was elected as the party leader of The Jewish Home in 2012, which he left in 2018 to form the New Right party. The party was renamed in 2019 to the Yamina party.

Naftali Bennett's rivalry with Netanyahu

Naftali Bennett shares Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the Middle East conflict, but the two have had tense relations over the years.
 
Naftali served as Netanyahu’s chief of staff for two years, but they parted ways after a mysterious falling-out that Israeli media linked to Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, who wields great influence over her husband’s inner circle.
 
Bennett campaigned as a right-wing stalwart ahead of the March elections and signed a pledge on national TV saying he would never allow Yair Lapid - Netanyahu’s main rival, to become Prime Minister.
 
But when it became clear Netanyahu was unable to form a ruling coalition, that’s exactly what Bennett did, agreeing to serve as Prime Minister for two years before handing power to Lapid.
 
Netanyahu’s supporters brand Bennett a traitor, saying he defrauded voters. Bennett has defended his decision as a pragmatic move aimed at unifying the country and avoiding a fifth round of elections.
 

Naftali Bennett replaces Netanyahu as PM

On June 13, 2021, the Israeli Parliament voted in a new government ending the country's longest-serving prime minister, Netanyahu’s record 12-year long regime. The 120-member Israel’s Knesset voted in favour of the 8-party coalition and chose Naftali Bennett to remove Netanyahu. As a part of the agreement, Bennett is expected to stay on as PM till 2023 after which Yair Lapid is expected to take over.
 

Naftali Bennett - Life before politics   

Before politics, Bennett joined the Israel Defense Forces in 1990 and served in the special forces units, commanding combat operations. Bennett served during the First Intifada and in the Israeli security zone in Lebanon.
 
Post defense, he became a software entrepreneur. He co-founded the US company Cyota in 1999, operating in the anti-fraud space. Bennett also served as CEO of Soluto, an Israeli cloud computing service. The Forbes Israel, in June 2021 issue, reported that he is expected to make $5 million from his investment in the American fintech company Payoneer, which is set to be listed in Nasdaq.
 

Naftali Bennett under Netanyahu's rule

Under Netanyahu, he served as Minister of Economy and Religious Services from 2013 to 2015 and as Minister of Education from 2015 to 2019.
 

Naftali Bennett takes charge as PM  

On June 13, 2021, he was sworn in as Israel PM after agreeing to a rotation government with Yair Lapid. Bennett will serve as prime minister until 2023, after which Lapid would assume the role until 2025.
 
The formation of the new government ended the political impasse in Israel that saw four elections in less than two years leading to inconclusive results.
 

Bennett's personal life

Born in Israel's Haifa, the 49-year-old politician is a son of immigrants who moved to the country from San Francisco in 1967.
 
According to reports, he is often labelled an ultra-nationalist, described himself as "more right-wing" than Netanyahu. Naftali Bennett is outspoken in his advocacy of Israel as the Jewish nation-state and Jewish historical and religious claims to the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Syrian Golan Heights.
 

Naftali Bennett's view on Israel-Palestine conflict

He has rejected the idea of the creation of a Palestinian state - the so-called two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict advocated by the international community, including US President Joe Biden.

Latest Updates on Naftali Bennett

Bennett will stand down at midnight to be replaced by his coalition partner, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid

Updated On: 01 Jul 2022 | 3:11 AM IST

The move, if passed, will trigger snap polls - Israel's fifth in just about three years.

Updated On: 20 Jun 2022 | 11:08 PM IST

The new guard will be deployed throughout the country to enable them respond quickly to emergency even before the arrival of police forces, he said

Updated On: 09 May 2022 | 8:51 AM IST

The Russian military is ready to ensure the safe exit of civilians, Putin said, adding that the Kiev authorities should order the remaining militants at the Azovstal plant to lay down arms

Updated On: 06 May 2022 | 9:43 AM IST

Asked in an interview about Russian claims that it invaded Ukraine to denazify the country, Lavrov said that Ukraine could still have Nazi elements even though its president Zelenskyy is a Jewish

Updated On: 06 May 2022 | 7:59 AM IST

Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's next visit to the country will depend on the political and security situation back home in the Mediterranean country

Updated On: 01 May 2022 | 9:21 AM IST

The two leaders discussed over the phone Iran's demand to delist its Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) from the US terror list, according to a statement by the office on Sunday

Updated On: 25 Apr 2022 | 9:33 AM IST

The two "discussed global and regional issues, including the Iranian nuclear issue, Israeli PM's media adviser said in a statement

Updated On: 04 Apr 2022 | 8:34 PM IST

Marking that Indo-Israel ties are based on mutual appreciation and meaningful collaboration, Bennett to visit India in April 1st week to mark 30th anniv of diplomatic relations between the countries

Updated On: 20 Mar 2022 | 10:47 PM IST

Just a year ago, Naftali Bennett was struggling for his political survival as Israel headed toward its fourth consecutive election.

Updated On: 16 Mar 2022 | 9:51 PM IST

Bennett, acting at Ukraine's behest, held a three-hour Kremlin meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Saturday

Updated On: 14 Mar 2022 | 2:04 AM IST

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that his country will continue to mediate between Russia and Ukraine even if the prospects for success are slim amid the ongoing war

Updated On: 07 Mar 2022 | 12:04 PM IST

Gilon launched the logo virtually along with his Indian counterpart in Tel Aviv, Ambassador Sanjeev Singla

Updated On: 25 Jan 2022 | 2:16 AM IST

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the country intends to double the amount of settlers living in the occupied Golan Heights with a multimillion-dollar plan

Updated On: 26 Dec 2021 | 6:56 PM IST

The people of India deeply value the friendship with Israel, PM Narendra Modi said, as he recalled his meeting with his Israeli counterpart Naftali Bennett on the sidelines of the COP26

Updated On: 02 Nov 2021 | 2:08 PM IST

The team is headed by Israel's National Security Council, which answers to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and has broader areas of expertise than the Defence Ministry

Updated On: 21 Jul 2021 | 11:43 PM IST