Ex-PM Naftali Bennett said in an X/Twitter post on Friday that he would not allow Itamar Ben-Gvir to join his government, clarifying his stance after a recording leaked on Thursday revealed he “does not boycott” the far-right minister.
Bennett wrote: “Amazing grassroots activity now all over the country. I meet with people from Israel everywhere, listen to them, and talk to everyone. I want to be clear: Itamar Ben-Gvir has no place in my government. Not because of ‘boycott rhetoric,’ but because he is a failed minister who acts with bullying and racism against the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.”
Bennett also took the opportunity to thank activists across the country, adding: “We have the power to fix Israel.”
The shift from the phrase “I do not boycott” to “There is no place for him in my government” is not just a semantic change;Â it represents a shift in his stance.
In the released recordings, Bennett expresses his desire to distance himself from boycott politics, emphasizing the need to “break the bloc mentality,” while noting that he doesn’t rule out sitting with anyone. However, he also described Ben-Gvir as someone unfit for serious leadership. Now, with a public tweet that carries significant weight, Bennett makes a clear rejection of Ben-Gvir and justifies it on both moral and functional grounds.
No place for a Ben-Gvir partnership in Bennett’s government
In Bennett’s circle, this is being presented as a clarification rather than a change of direction. According to them, no partnership was promised before, but there was simply a reservation against the rhetoric of automatic rejections. However, politically, the clarification comes at a sensitive time.
Bennett’s earlier remarks about forming a “broad national unity government” after the elections, inspired by the 1984 rotation model, raised suspicions within the opposition bloc. Questions were raised about whether his call to break the bloc division might eventually lead to an alliance with Likud and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Against this backdrop, attention should also be given to the video Bennett attached to his tweet. When asked if he would sit under a Netanyahu government, Bennett replied: “No. I am going to replace Netanyahu.” While until now, he had left room for interpretation regarding the future coalition structure, Bennett is now clearly stating his goal to lead the camp and replace the current prime minister, not integrate under him.
In practice, Bennett is trying to balance two extremes: maintaining a statesmanlike image that calls for broad government and cross-bloc cooperation, while also making it clear that he has red lines with both Ben-Gvir and Netanyahu.
The move is aimed at stabilizing his position in the center of the political map, but it also serves to prevent the leakage of potential voters who fear a scenario in which he aligns with the far-right or enters a government led by Netanyahu.
The open question remains: What will the “broad government” Bennett is talking about actually look like, if it does not include Ben-Gvir and is not led by Netanyahu? Is this an attempt to redraw the boundaries between the right and the center, or simply a tactical move to address concerns within the opposition?
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded to Bennett’s remarks in a tweet on his X account: “Bennett the crook. I would not join the government of a friend of Mansour Abbas and of the one who canceled the enforcement chapter in the Negev. You on the left will continue to babble, and we will continue to manage the country.”