New Delhi: A self-professed “more Right-wing” leader than Benjamin Netanyahu, 49-year-old Naftali Bennett was sworn in as Israel’s new prime minister Saturday, ending his predecessor, Netanyahu’s historic 12-year rule.
A former ally of Netanyahu, Bennett became prime minister after the country’s Parliament gave its vote of confidence to a coalition government stitched together by a range of anti-Netanyahu forces. It was a narrow win: 60-59 votes.
A former commando and tech millionaire, Bennett has vowed to block Palestinian statehood, long supported annexing 60 per cent of the West Bank and once espoused a “shoot to kill” policy on the Gaza border.
However, Israelis celebrated Netayanhu’s ouster Sunday in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square with many saying they feel “democracy is back”. Large banners were held and some read “Crime Minister” with a picture of Netanyahu’s face.
After the announcement, US President Joe Biden, who had waited over three weeks after his inauguration to call Netanyahu, immediately congratulated Bennett over a phone call Sunday night. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered congratulations to the new Prime Minister, while also conveying his “gratitude” to Netanyahu.
Excellency @naftalibennett, congratulations on becoming the Prime Minister of Israel. As we celebrate 30 years of the upgradation of diplomatic relations next year, I look forward to meeting you and deepening the strategic partnership between our two countries. @IsraeliPM
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2021
Netanyahu himself tweeted a quote by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, a Russian Empire-born American Orthodox rabbi. It read: “You will need to fight with 119 people, but you will certainly not be impressed by this as God is on this side. A blessing and success [to you]. God will give a blessing and success.’”
ג׳ תמוז ואני נזכר בדברים שאמר לי הרבי מליובאוויטש: ״אתה תצטרך להיאבק עם 119 אנשים, בוודאי לא תתרשם מזה כיוון שהקב״ה בצד הזה. ברכה והצלחה, נתינה של הקב״ה ברכה והצלחה״. pic.twitter.com/FvhbtRjHk9
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) June 13, 2021
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Son of American immigrants
Bennett was born in Haifa on 23 March 1972 to American immigrants, Jim and Myrna Bennett. He attended the ‘Yavneh’ Yeshiva High School in Haifa.
Myrna’s parents immigrated to San Francisco from Poland before World War II while the other family members who remained in Poland perished in the Holocaust. Jim — who has roots in Poland, Germany and Holland — came from a family that immigrated to the US in the 19th century.
“His dream was to be an army man. His parents didn’t push him. Still, he grew up in a very political home, very Zionist, right-wing. His parents were supporters of Tehiya [a now-defunct ultranationalist party],” Ariel Friedman, a childhood friend of Bennett’s, told Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Bennett’s parents reportedly took part in many demonstrations during the period of the Oslo Accords, a pair of agreements between the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, and in those against the 2005 Gaza withdrawal.
Bennett is religiously observant and will be the first prime minister in Israel to wear a kipa (traditional Jewish skullcap). A father of four, he currently lives in the city Raanana with his wife.
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Military service and tech business
Prior to his political career, he served as a squad commander and company commander in the Maglan unit, a commando unit of the Israeli Army, among other posts. He also holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Fresh out of the army, he co-founded a high-tech company Cyota in 1999, which specialises in online information security. In 2005, he sold Cyota to an American company for $145 million.
He had also served as the CEO of Soluto, a device protection software developer, which was sold for about $100 million.
Asked about his wealth in an interview in 2014, he said: “I don’t eat 17 steaks and I don’t have a private plane or yacht. It simply bought me freedom to do what I want.”
Ally-turned-rival
Bennett began his political career as Netanyahu’s chief of staff in the Likud party from 2006 to 2008. After the pair’s falling out, he joined the Right-wing national religious Jewish Home party. He entered Parliament after leading the party to success in the 2013 election.
He served as a minister in every coalition government until 2019 after his newly formed alliance failed to gain any seats. That same year, he was indicted for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes.
He returned to Parliament a year later as head of ultra nationalist party, Yamina.
Bennett has long championed Israel as the Jewish nation state and the country’s claims to the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan Heights — a territory occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war. He once led the Yesha Council, a political group for Jewish settlers.
“As long as I have any power and control, I won’t hand over one centimetre of the Land of Israel. Period,” he said in an interview in February 2021.
Bennett was offered the seat as prime minister as a shared role by both Netanyahu and centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid.
Bennett eventually joined Lapid, despite their wide ideological differences. Lapid will take over as PM in 2023 as part of a rotation agreement.
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