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Naftali Bennett
Together / BeyachadPolitical figure

Naftali Bennett

A former elite-unit officer and technology entrepreneur, Naftali Bennett was Prime Minister of Israel from June 2021 to June 2022, heading an unprecedented eight-party coalition that included an Arab party, Ra'am, for the first time. Returning to politics in 2025, he formed the Beyahad / Together electoral bloc with Yair Lapid in April 2026.

Ideology
Security-oriented right, shifted in recent months toward liberalism on issues of religion and state. The Beyahad bloc, merged with Yesh Atid, is positioned in the center.
Current role
Leader of the Bennett 2026 party; head of the Beyahad / Together bloc's electoral list
Born
March 25, 1972Haifa

Key takeaways

  1. 01

    He is a former elite-unit officer (Sayeret Matkal, Maglan) and a technology entrepreneur who sold two companies, Cyota (approximately $145 million in 2005) and Soluto ($100 to $130 million in 2013).

  2. 02

    He was Prime Minister from June 2021 to June 2022, heading an unprecedented eight-party coalition that included an Arab party, Ra'am, for the first time.

  3. 03

    He left politics in 2022 after the fall of his government, then returned by founding the Bennett 2026 party on April 1, 2025.

  4. 04

    On April 26, 2026, he concluded an electoral alliance, Beyahad / Together, with Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid.

  5. 05

    Makes a “Dery law,” which would bar draft evaders from serving in the security cabinet, a condition for joining the government (October 2026).

Controversies

  • His openly expressed support for civil marriage and public transportation on Shabbat draws sharp criticism from the Haredi community.

  • The inclusion of Ra'am in his 2021 coalition is sharply criticized on the right. Netanyahu denounces a “dangerous left-wing government” and recalls Bennett's past remarks about Mansour Abbas.

  • His government collapses in 2022 after several defections by members of the Knesset. Idit Silman resigns in April, causing it to lose its majority.

  • On September 26, 2026, he attends a meeting at Lapid's home with Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Golan, Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman. The five leaders pledge there not to attack one another until the government is formed. Benny Gantz stays away from this meeting and publicly criticizes the initiative. Netanyahu mocks it with an AI-generated image.

Born on March 25, 1972, in Haifa to American immigrant parents, Naftali Bennett served in the IDF from 1990 to 1996 in the elite units Sayeret Matkal and then Maglan, reaching the rank of major. He then became a technology entrepreneur, co-founding Cyota in 1999 (sold in 2005 for approximately $145 million) and later heading Soluto (sold in 2013 for $100 to $130 million, depending on the source).

He entered politics as Netanyahu's chief of staff (2006–2008), led the Yesha Council (2010–2012), and then became chairman of the Jewish Home party (2012). He held the Economy (2013–2015), Education (2015–2019) and Defense (2019–2020) portfolios.

He became Prime Minister on June 13, 2021, heading an unprecedented eight-party coalition that included an Arab party, Ra'am, for the first time. After several defections, the government collapsed and Bennett handed the position to Yair Lapid on July 1, 2022, as part of a rotation agreement.

On June 29, 2022, he announced that he would not run in the next election, then began a comeback by founding the Bennett 2026 party on April 1, 2025. In November 2025, he declared his candidacy for Prime Minister, then concluded an electoral alliance, “Beyahad / Together,” with Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid on April 26, 2026, ahead of the October 27, 2026 election.

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