Israel’s outgoing prime minister Naftali Bennett has announced he is taking a break from politics and will not run in the country’s autumn election.
In a live prime time televised address on Wednesday night, Mr Bennett — leader of the right-wing Yamina alliance — said he was proud of the achievements of the outgoing government, which lasted just over a year. “I love this country above all else and will remain its loyal soldier. Serving Israel is my calling,” he said.
Mr Bennett expressed regret over the hostility of the right-wing opposition during the last year. “It cannot be that half the country feels itself in mourning when the other half runs the country,” he said.
He said he would serve as alternative prime minister in the interim government to be headed by Yair Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party.
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Mr Bennett’s announcement was not entirely unexpected. After he announced last week that a snap election would be held in the autumn, Israel’s fifth in less than four years, he said he was considering his political future. Polls indicated Yamina would struggle to achieve the minimum threshold of four seats in the 120-seat Knesset.
Yamina will now be led by outgoing interior minister Ayelet Shaked, Mr Bennett’s long-term political ally, who was much more inclined than Mr Bennett to join a future government headed by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A poll by Channel 12 TV on Wednesday night suggested Yamina led by Ms Shaked could win five seats, one more than under Mr Bennett. Yamina with five seats joining a right-wing and religious Netanyahu coalition would be enough for an overall majority of 63 seats, according to the poll.
Mr Bennett’s decision came a day before the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, prepared to dissolve. Under the coalition agreement, foreign minister Mr Lapid will take over as interim prime minister until a new government is sworn in after the elections, likely to be held on November 1st.
Mr Bennett was a former infantry commando and self-made tech millionaire who always pitched himself as further right than the man he replaced as prime minister, Mr Netanyahu. He was Israel’s first religiously observant prime minister.
Mr Bennett was slammed by the right-wing opposition for “lying to his voters”, after agreeing to serve in a coalition with left-wing and Arab parties despite promises to the contrary.
Once in power, as head of a wide coalition that covered almost the entire political spectrum, he was forced to make ideological compromises that resulted in him losing popularity among much of his right-wing and religious base.
“My brother Naftali, thank you, in my name and the name of all the people of Israel,” tweeted Mr Lapid on Wednesday evening.
Far-right lawmaker and Mr Bennett’s former party colleague Bezalel Smotrich welcomed Mr Bennett’s decision. “The decision to retire from politics wasn’t his. It was the public who had enough of him and spewed him out.”