Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is seeking a political comeback with a strategy to expand the Abraham Accords and deepen economic ties with Arab nations. His campaign emphasizes rebuilding Israel's international relationships, particularly with the United States, leveraging his background as a technology entrepreneur and his personal connections to America.
Bennett, who is 54 and was born in Haifa to American parents from San Francisco, believes his business experience aligns with President Donald Trump's approach to governance. In a June interview with The Times of Israel, Bennett noted that Trump is a businessman who focuses on results rather than process, a perspective he shares. However, Bennett faces a significant hurdle in U.S. support, as President Trump endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection on Oct. 18.
Domestically, Bennett's political position is complicated by polling data and coalition dynamics. His joint party, Beyachad, formed with former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, currently trails behind both Netanyahu's Likud and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party. A Channel 12 poll published on Oct. 23 projected 23 Knesset seats for Eisenkot, 21 for Netanyahu, and 15 for Bennett and Lapid. Despite these numbers, Bennett relies on the precedent of his 2021 rise to power, when his Yamina party won only seven of the Knesset's 120 seats but secured the prime ministership through coalition negotiations.
Bennett's political career is marked by a transition from military service to business and then to high office. He served in Israel's elite Sayeret Matkal and Maglan units before co-founding cybersecurity company Cyota, which sold for $145 million in 2005. He later served as Netanyahu's chief of staff and held various ministerial portfolios. In 2021, he formed a broad coalition that ended Netanyahu's 12-year tenure, though that government collapsed in 2022 amid accusations of broken promises.
Strategic advisor Einat Halevy Levin described Bennett's current preparation as more robust than his previous campaign. She stated that Bennett spent years building political infrastructure and screening candidates after his decision to return to politics in November 2023. Levin highlighted Bennett's shift from a military-focused approach to one emphasizing shared economic interests with neighboring countries. She recalled a meeting where a senior official from a neighboring country was impressed by Bennett's detailed knowledge of its economy.
In an interview with Israel's Channel 13 on Sunday, Bennett outlined his diplomatic vision, citing past meetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Jordan's King Abdullah II, and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. He identified extremist settler violence in the West Bank as a major source of damage to Israel's standing and pledged to direct senior officials to produce a crackdown plan within three days if elected. He stated, "We need to eliminate Jewish terrorism in Judea and Samaria," arguing that such actions harm Israel's international reputation despite his support for the settlement movement.
However, Bennett's foreign policy remains aligned with the Israeli right on key issues. He has promoted his "Octopus Doctrine," advocating direct action against Iran rather than focusing solely on Iranian-backed groups. He opposes Palestinian statehood and supports maintaining Israeli security control in Gaza until Hamas is disarmed. His positions have drawn criticism from Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, who argued that Bennett does not understand the depth of the international crisis if he intends to oppose a Palestinian state while seeking diplomatic normalization.
Beyond foreign policy, Bennett's October 25 manifesto includes domestic pledges such as redirecting 30 billion shekels in benefits to working families and military service members, reducing food prices by 30%, and establishing an inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack. With Israel's parliamentary system requiring at least 61 seats to govern, coalition negotiations will likely determine the outcome as much as the election results themselves.