Naftali Bennett
With new players and old alliances, Israel’s post-October 7 political map takes shape
POLITICAL AFFAIRS: Two significant political developments played out this week as Israel moves towards elections. Gadi Eisenkot and Yonatan Shamriz took the reflectors with key announcements.
Israel's Opposition hits 61 seat majority for first time in months - poll
Gadi Eisenkot pushing for unified list with Bennett, Lapid to rival Netanyahu's Likud
Israel Katz publishes IDF chief's letter warning of manpower shortage amid haredi draft debate
Revised haredi draft bill 'historic mistake,' security threat, Eisenkot warns Knesset panel
Additionally, former prime minister Naftali Bennett said if elected, he would cancel the government's haredi IDF exemption bill.
Bennett: First acts as PM will be to cancel haredi draft bill, politicized probe into Oct. 7
Bennett addressed the current attempt by the government to pass a law which critics say will only moderately increase haredi service in the IDF, at the Cyber Week conference at Tel Aviv University.
Netanyahu cancels statement on haredi draft bill as opposition slams legislation
Opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) responded that Netanyahu canceled his statement “because he knows we know the details of the draft-evasion law, and he has no way to defend it.”
Naftali Bennett voices support for Netanyahu pardon, coupled with PM's political exit
Former PM: "I will support a binding agreement that will include a dignified withdrawal [for Netanyahu] from political life alongside the end of the trial."
Bismuth advances updated ultra-Orthodox IDF draft bill as Knesset prepares for decisive debates
The revised bill is described by its drafters as a “balanced” response - but its core architecture offers the haredi sector a wide window of relief.
Thieves smash jewelry display in Ofakim store, flee after employee pepper-sprays them
"There is no policing in Israel! This situation cannot continue," MK Almog Cohen (Otzma Yehudit) posted on X/Twitter in response to a video of the incident.
What US voter exhaustion shows us about Israel’s demand for responsible leadership - opinion
This election year is filled with uncertainty, but one trend is unmistakable. Israelis are moving toward a politics that reflects their real lives, not the tribal divisions that once defined them.
Thousands gather in Tel Aviv to demand state probe on October 7 failures
"The people of Israel deserve answers about how the terrible failure happened and how to prevent it from happening again," former prime minister Naftali Bennett published on X/Twitter.
Opposition holds 61-seat edge despite coalition drama, 'Maariv' poll finds
The new survey published Friday shows the anti-Netanyahu bloc held 61 seats as debate over Haredi draft, UN Gaza plan, and Saudi normalization roils politics.
Coalition drops to 48 seats in Knesset as Bennett-Eisenkot bloc gains majority - poll
Likud has lost two seats, dropping the party to 24, while former prime minister Naftali Bennett's party gained two, also reaching 24 to tie.
