Khaberni - Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that he will not ally with a government led by the current Prime Minister and leader of the «Likud» party, Benjamin Netanyahu, vowing to overthrow him and said that he will not allow «the failed leadership to continue».
Bennett pledged, at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on Tuesday, that he intends to lead Israel «towards a stronger new chapter».
Bennett's comments, who is so far Netanyahu's strongest competitor in any upcoming election, came in response to harsh criticism from politicians on the right and left who accused him of joining a government with Netanyahu after the elections.
Earlier, right-wing officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, said that Bennett would crawl back into a Netanyahu-led government after the elections, and opposition leader Yair Lapid hinted that he does not trust Bennett to not ally with Netanyahu.
In his strongest electioneering statement on Tuesday morning, Bennett said: «Israel is divided, and it will not survive. I must tell the truth: the current Israeli leadership has divided us, and is now dividing us even more than ever before. After three decades of his rule, and following the biggest catastrophe in the history of Israel during his tenure, a leader must know when to step down honorably».
He added: «Israel is greater than any individual. The next chapter must be written by new leaders, free from those responsible for the disaster. I will not allow the failed leadership to continue. I intend to lead Israel to its next, strongest chapter».
Divided opposition
Bennett's statements affirm that he does not intend to share a government with Netanyahu, but it is not clear whether he will succeed in uniting the opposition or not.
On Monday, opposition leader Yair Lapid warned that polls show that the opposition bloc might not be able to win the upcoming elections if its members continue to work against each other.
Lapid told reporters, before the weekly meeting of his party's faction «Yesh Atid» in the Knesset: «I can no longer say that we will win... If we do not come to our senses, we will lose».
Lapid affirmed that his party alone possesses the political mechanism necessary to mobilize voters in the upcoming general election, urging Israelis to vote for his party, «when you vote for (Yesh Atid), you can be completely sure that we will not yield and will not join another Netanyahu government».
He added: «We will not bend and will not form a government with the Haredim that continues extortion and shirking from military service. Forming a government is not a hobby, but a profession; and I am the only one in this camp who has done this before».
