Bayit Yehudi party leader Education Minister Naftali Bennett according to many remains a political novice despite this being his second term in Knesset and on the cabinet. Numerous polls have shown few would trust him as Prime Minister or Defense Minister, yet he clearly envisions himself as the nation’s Prime Minister in a future election.

After the signing of the deal between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman, Bennett continues with his demands in order to gain Bayit Yehudi’s support for Yisrael Beitenu’s entry into the coalition government.

Bennett has placed himself between an expanded coalition and PM Netanyahu. Once again Bennett is likely to be neutralized by his political adversary, Prime Minister Netanyahu as he and he alone is preventing a deal after Lieberman and PM Netanyahu sign on a deal.

Bennett has announced that if PM Netanyahu does not appoint a military secretary to the cabinet and begin “educating” ministers on defense matters to permit them to truly understand military briefings, his party will not support Lieberman’s entry into the coalition.

The general consensus is that while there is merit to Bennett’s plan, he is yet to learn that presenting ‘ultimatums’ time and time again will never serve to endear him with the Prime Minister. Ultimately, it is all but certain that Mr. Netanyahu will agree to some form of Bennett’s demands and things will move ahead with the realization that for as long as PM Netanyahu is around, Bennett will never see a senior cabinet post.

Many analysts feel that once again Bennett realizes he hasn’t a chance of becoming Foreign Minister despite Lieberman’s entry as Defense Minister with a party of six seats while Bayit Yehudi has eight seats. That being understood, Bennett came up with this latest power play to show voters he is capable of compelling the Prime Minister’s hand.

One other scenario, which will land Bennett out of the coalition, is that MK Yitzchak Herzog enters the coalition with supports, the six or seven MKs willing to break from the Machane Tzioni party and then PM Netanyahu will expand his coalition without having to tolerate Bennett or meet his ultimatums.

The deal with Lieberman is now reality and Likud is absolutely refusing to speak with Bennett or Bayit Yehudi regarding his latest ultimatum. Hence, the expansion of the coalition is on hold because of the political novice, Natali Bennett.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)