Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he is prepared to do “anything in the world” to unite Israel’s opposition and defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging fellow opposition leader Gadi Eizenkot to reach a unity agreement.

Speaking to Radio 103FM, Bennett acknowledged recent polls showing a decline in support for his “Together” party but insisted he is willing to put personal ambitions aside.

“I see the polls and I’m not denying them,” Bennett said. “Eizenkot and I need to go into a room and not come out until there’s unity.”

“I will not let ego be a factor,” he added. “I will do anything in the world to replace this very bad government.”

Bennett argued that only a center-right candidate can defeat Netanyahu.

“The person who will win these elections is a right-wing candidate. I know how to look Bibi in the eyes—and beat him. I’ve done it before, and I know how to do it again.”

He also praised opposition figures Gadi Eizenkot and Yair Lapid, saying unity is essential.

“Lapid and I speak every day,” Bennett said. “He was an excellent foreign minister and I think he will be an excellent foreign minister again.”

Turning to national security, Bennett sharply criticized Netanyahu’s handling of Iran.

“Netanyahu’s term began with the terrible internal conflict of 2023, continued with the worst massacre in Jewish history, and is ending with a serious failure against Iran,” he said, arguing that Iran continues advancing both its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Bennett also claimed that when he succeeded Netanyahu as prime minister, he received virtually no meaningful transition briefing.

“It lasted less than half an hour. It was unbelievable,” Bennett said. “I asked him about Iran. I wanted to understand the strategy and whether we had produced the special munitions we needed. I didn’t get answers. He mumbled unclear things like, ‘We need to strike Iran.'”

According to Bennett, he later discovered “a terrible gap” in Israel’s stockpile of specialized weapons and said his government invested billions of shekels over the following years to build the necessary production lines.

Bennett also called for sweeping reforms if elected, including requiring mathematics and English studies in Chareidi schools, saying Israel must undertake “the biggest reforms since the founding of the state.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)