"It was a mistake I will not repeat": Naftali Bennett on the Yasmin Lukatz podcast
The chairman of the Together party was hosted on the podcast of social entrepreneur Yasmin Lukatz. "The flagship mission now is to unite the people, who are more torn than ever," said Bennett, who attacked Bezalel Smotrich: "He is the architect of draft evasion." He also reflected on the lessons learned from his time as Prime Minister.
Former Prime Minister, former CEO of the Yesha Council and leader of the "Jewish Home" parties, Naftali Bennett, has been considered for years the "poster boy" of religious Zionism.
"Religious Zionism is not one thing, it is a vast space. There are those who support me very much and there are those who are very angry at me," Bennett said in the living room of Yasmin, the podcast of social entrepreneur and venture capitalist Yasmin Lukatz. "In religious Zionism there is a triangle: the people of Israel, the land of Israel and the Torah of Israel, and I am connected to all three."
"Qatar is an enemy state"
Bennett addressed at length the involvement of Qatar, which he demanded to define as an enemy state: "They are the heart of the cancer. Qatar funded the October 7 massacre, the Revolutionary Guards and Jabhat al-Nusra, and it operates the most antisemitic channel in the world. People call me and claim that I exaggerated — what exaggeration? They are killing us. They also funded Karim Khan, because of whom Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF commanders are being persecuted. My expectation is that all leaders will say: Qatar is an enemy."
"Smotrich is the architect of draft evasion"
Regarding claims about a change in his path and principles, Bennett said: "I did not change my positions, I changed the weights. The Torah of Israel and the land of Israel are in a strong position today, with almost 600,000 Israelis in Judea and Samaria. What is in danger today is the people of Israel. The nation is in the worst and most dangerous rift since the founding of the state, and therefore the flagship mission now is to unite the people and fix the state."
The chairman of the Together party said that during the judicial reform period, "the state was in an existential danger of a 'civil war' whose trigger was the aggressive government action. We weakened, our immune system weakened — and the enemy attacked." Bennett warned: "Their mistake, on a historical level, is that they could have done something more effective — they could have not attacked, and we would have finished each other off here. If this happens again, we will not be here."
Regarding the leadership of religious Zionism and the Minister of Finance in particular, Bennett leveled sharp criticism: "The political leadership of religious Zionism has lost its direction. Bezalel Smotrich's conduct is the opposite of a 'bridge' — he is arrogant day and night, and is not willing to say that he was wrong about anything. Is transferring money to Qatar not a mistake? Is the fact that you drove the country crazy and we tore ourselves apart not a mistake? Do you have no responsibility? What is wrong with you, man?".
He continued: "Smotrich is the architect of draft evasion more than any other person, signed on to this enterprise in the last four years together with Aryeh Deri and Yitzhak Goldknopf — and this endangers the existence of the state."
Lessons from the Prime Minister's Office
Bennett admitted that he did not believe that the first government of change that he established together with Yair Lapid would last. "I didn't think it would last even a year. There were huge forces that worked to dismantle it, to create internal hatred, fear, and threats. Very harsh methods were used."
"I didn't do enough political maintenance," Bennett said. "I became Prime Minister, and suddenly the responsibility of the most complex state in the world was on my shoulders. I also entered into a series of very difficult crises, and I almost didn't deal with political maintenance. It was a very big mistake that I will not repeat; I will fix it."
In conclusion, Bennett presented his vision for the future, led by a technological and educational revolution, and declared that he intends to implement "a personal and free artificial intelligence agent that will help every citizen against government systems," alongside a reform in the education system that will provide uniform education in core subjects and stop the funding of the private Haredi network.
