Close to a month after breaking away from Bayit Yehudi and announcing the formation of his New Right party, Minister Naftali Bennet breaks his silence on Wednesday, speaking to Ynet regarding his future and the April 9, 2019 Knesset election.

Regarding the entry of Benny Gantz into the political arena, Bennet said, “I have nothing against Benny Gantz on a personal level,” Bennet said, referring to his [Gantz’s] perception of the concept of a “tie” in which we do not aspire to victory for as long as the IDF emerges from conflict safely, despite lacking a decisive victory.

“This perception has failed during the last 30 years. In Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, I came out and said, “There are 30 terrorist tunnels, they are completely ripe for a multi-dimensional disaster.” Benny Gantz came and said it was better not to enter. This is avoidance, procrastination.

“One of the questions in the elections is who will be the defense minister in the next government; Naftali Bennett or Benny Gantz.”

Regarding his target in the next elections, Bennett said: “Our target is 15 Knesset seats, we will want the defense and justice portfolios in the next government.”

Regarding ongoing investigations into alleged law-breaking activities involving Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the possibility that a criminal indictment will be handed down against him, Bennet said, “I hope we will not reach a situation in which he is indicted. It is not good on the personal or diplomatic level for the State of Israel. I will state in the clearest possible terms – we will not join the populist choir. We in the New Right will wait for the decision of the Attorney General following a pre-indictment hearing and then the party will reach its decision. He does not have to step down for as long as there is no conviction against him.

“I am adding as clearly as possible; the rationale is that they want judicial review of the decision that can replace the government. We will convene in the faction and will discuss all the facts that will be before us. At this stage, we will clearly recommend to President Rivlin for Binyamin Netanyahu to form the next government.”

Bennet states his new party represents the renewed Zionism and they are currently working on writing the party platform. “I announce that immediately after elections, we will establish a special public committee in the spirit of the Gavison-Meidan Convention in order to create broad consensus on all issues in the State of Israel. We are neither secular or religious. We believe in the tradition, the roots of the People of Israel. We need to balance the State of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish People, while protecting the rights of the individual. We are against religious coercion and against secular coercion.

Regarding allegations of leaving Bayit Yehudi with a NIS 22 million dept, he adds that he left the party in a position that is far better than it was when he assumed the leadership role. Bennet explains that six years ago, there was a NIS 40 million debt.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)