Former prime minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday called to dissolve of the Knesset and outlined his plans for the country if elected, alongside opposition leader Yair Lapid, at the first major campaign event of their newly merged Together party ahead of elections expected no later than October.
Addressing thousands of supporters at a Tel Aviv expo, Bennett pledged that a future government led by the alliance would establish a constitution, reform Israel’s education system, draft haredim (ultra-Orthodox) into the IDF, and “rebuild” the country in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks.
Organizations said that approximately 3,500 people attended the event. As leader of the Together party, Bennett received repeated standing ovations from the crowd as he spoke about his plans for the country if elected prime minister.
He and Lapid joined up on the stage and embraced.
Together has been trailing Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party in recent polls, and leads the opposition bloc seeking to replace him.
Bennett has long been considered a right-wing figure, while Lapid has placed his Yesh Atid Party as centrist on the political spectrum; the two spoke on the importance of uniting the blocs.
Bennett said that Together would make bold foundational moves, and that the party would establish a constitution for the country “in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence.”
He said that if, in 1948, when the Declaration of Independence was signed, “the far Left, the far Right, the religious, and the secular all managed to agree on that declaration; then [a constitution] is possible.”
He also said a government led by him would carry out “bold economic reforms that will lower the cost of living.”
Bennet calls for education system reform
At the core of Bennett’s plan, he announced a reform of the country’s education system, which he said he was presenting for the first time.
Bennett called to establish one education system for all Israeli children and ensure that haredi education institutions would include core subjects, such as math, English, and science.
“We will put an end to separatism. All Israeli children will study a broad shared core curriculum. They will learn Hebrew, English, mathematics, civics, Bible studies, Jewish and Zionist heritage. All Israeli children.”
“Yes, it sounds imaginary. Believe me, it’s not. Every Israeli child will be educated on the importance of military and national service. Every Israeli child will understand they are part of a Jewish and democratic state,” he said.
He also noted that the change would be done not by force, but rather by halting funding to “schools that teach children not to serve the state.”
“We will establish excellent, well-funded state-haredi schools. Those schools we will fund. The others we won’t,” he said.
Speaking on the issue of drafting haredim into the IDF, Bennett said that his government “will integrate our ultra-Orthodox brothers into employment and military service with love and Israeli solidarity.”
“Don’t let anyone tell you it’s impossible to draft haredim. Of course it’s possible. You’ll see.”
When asked a question by a wounded reservist in the crowd, Bennett jumped off the stage and embraced him. He vowed that his government would ensure that wounded soldiers and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder would not be neglected and would receive adequate government assistance.
Bennett criticized the state’s treatment of wounded soldiers, saying the current system forces them to fight bureaucracy and hire expensive lawyers to secure benefits. “The state sent you to fight for us,” he said. “So why is the state against you?”
He also vowed to establish a state commission of inquiry into government failures surrounding the attacks.
Lapid lauds Bennett's leadership
Lapid took to the stage beforehand, where he expressed his full belief in Bennett’s ability to be prime minister.
According to the agreement between the two, Bennett would serve as prime minister for the full term, if elected, with no rotation government as was done after the 2021 elections, when their government was dissolved one year after its formation.
“Can Bennett lead a group of strong and good people who will bring the change that is as necessary as the air we breathe?
“The answer is ‘Yes,’” Lapid told the crowd.
“Have we learned from the mistakes of the past so that this will be a strong and stable government? The answer is ‘Yes,’” he added.
Lapid also spoke on the importance of coming together despite different political viewpoints. He noted that the country has been divided for four years, since the beginning of the current government’s term.
“Sometimes, hope is born when two friends talk in the middle of the night and say to each other: ‘Brother, we must save our country.’ That’s what Bennett and I did.”
“Bennett and I don’t pretend to agree on everything. He’s a right-winger, I’m a centrist, we have disagreements, and that’s good,” he added.
“Together is not just a union of parties. We are uniting the Israeli Center with the liberal Right in order to bring the State of Israel back together. Give us a chance, and we will win these elections and establish a government of light.”