Bennett will remain deputy prime minister once he is replaced by foreign minister Yair Lapid as prime minister, which could only happen on Thursday if the Knesset completes legislation to be dissolved. The outgoing Prime Minister has said that Ayelet Shaked, a longtime political ally, will take over the leadership of Yamina as he moves forward. In an emotional statement, Bennett expressed pride in his government’s achievements and urged the country to unite to maintain its achievements. “I will not run in the next elections, but I will remain a loyal soldier of this country that I served as a combat soldier, as an officer, as a minister and as your prime minister. “Serving this country is my destiny,” said Bennett. Get the Times of Israel Daily Edition and never miss our top stories By registering, you agree to the terms “I am finishing more than a year as prime minister,” he continued. “Thank God, I leave behind a strong, secure and prosperous country. “The government I led did in one year what other governments did not do in an entire term.” Outgoing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett after a press conference in the Israeli parliament in which he announced that he will not run in the next elections. Ayelet Shaked, the new leader of the Yamina party, is on the right. Stella Weinstein, the outgoing CEO of Yamina, is in the spotlight on June 29, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi / Flash90) “We have shown that there is a common good and that it is possible to abide by the agreements,” he said. “We will only be winners if we are together. If we are divided we simply will not be. If we are united, no one can surpass us. Let us be good to each other. Let us listen, let us learn to know and respect “. In his speech, Bennett listed the achievements of his government. He had, he said, restored peace and security in the south. hundreds of thousands of people returned to work. faced two COVID waves without resorting to lockdown; fought a wave of terror. Increase in the salaries of soldiers. “And make it clear to our enemies that those who send terrorists to Tel Aviv will pay the price for their homes.” “Soon,” he said secretly, “there will be additional important news in areas related to our future” – a possible reference to the progress of Israel’s ties with countries in the region. US President Joe Biden is due to visit Israel and Saudi Arabia next month, and there has been much speculation about a major breakthrough in that regard and the expansion of defense alliances against Iran. Bennett thanked Shaked, as well as his steadfast ally Matan Kahana, who he said was the best religious minister in the country’s history. Kahana had hoped to take over the leadership of Yamina, but it is unclear whether he will remain in the party under Shaked. Stella Weinstein, CEO of Yamina, resigned following Bennett’s announcement. A series of recent polls have shown that Yamina would win just four seats in the new election, leaving the party dangerously close to falling below the electoral threshold and ousted by the Knesset. However, an instant poll on Channel 12 on Wednesday night said that Yamina under Shaked would win five seats. If he worked with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that would be enough to bring Netanyahu and his bloc to a majority in the Knesset, the poll showed. Bennett has been hesitant in recent days over whether or not to run in the upcoming election, and the poor prospect of polls for Yamina has apparently influenced his decision to step down. The outgoing government ministers praised Bennett for his role as prime minister and wished him well. Lapidt wrote on Twitter: “Naftali, my friend, thank you on my behalf and on behalf of the people of Israel.” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett with Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked at the first Government Conference in the Israeli Parliament on 13 June 2021. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90) “Naftali Bennett is an Israeli patriot,” wrote Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Twitter. “He was a good prime minister who filled the post in a way that looked like a politician. We worked in full cooperation on behalf of Israel and its citizens. I am convinced that he will return to serve the country in the future. Naftali, thank you and good luck! “ Health Minister Nitzan Horovitz, leader of the left-wing Meretz party, said he had worked closely with Bennett last year: “There were disagreements and political issues, but I discovered a hard worker and a real person who really cares about the public. His positions are not my positions and that is clear, but I appreciate him very much. “Israel has won a year of good governance in his honor.” Leading ultra-Orthodox politicians, meanwhile, have praised Bennett’s departure from politics, accusing him of rigging the electorate in recent elections when he vowed not to agree to a rotating prime ministerial deal with Yesh Atid leader. Yair Lapid. “It seems that God is the one who rules the world,” said United Torah Judaism MK President Moshe Gafni. “You can not lie and deceive an entire country. “His party is dying of a strange death.” Shas President MK Aryeh Deri said Bennett had deceived the right-wing camp and “created a government that has done the most damage to Jewish identity and the weak.” The leader of the religious Zionist party, Bezalel Smotrich, a staunch opponent of the orthodox-nationalist leader Yamina, said that Bennett’s decision to leave politics “is not his but the public’s, which disgusted him and made him vomiting from his waist. . » Yair Lapid (left) speaks with Naftali Bennett (right) during a plenary session in the Knesset on 22 April 2013. (Miriam Alster / Flash90) Bennett appeared on the political scene in 2013, when Bayit Yehudi’s party won 12 seats in the election that year, making it the fourth largest party in the Knesset. He became Minister of Economy in the 33rd government of Israel headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, while Bayit Yehudi MKs took over many other ministerial portfolios. The party under Bennett also joined Netanyahu’s next government and won eight seats in the Knesset. Bennett managed to secure a strong Justice Minister portfolio for Shaked while taking on the role of Education Minister. Following the dissolution of the 34th government in December 2018, Bennett split from Bayit Yehudi along with Shaked due to persistent tensions with the party’s rabbinical leadership and founded the short-lived New Right party. The New Right failed to cross the electoral threshold in the April 2019 elections, leaving Bennett out of the Knesset and out of power. But in a huge political postponement for him, a new government could not be formed and new elections were called for September 2019. Bennett took a step back, allowing Shaked to lead the party that reunited with its former hardline, religiously conservative partners, the National Union and Tekuma, to form Yamina. The party won seven seats in that election, with Bennett eventually taking over as defense secretary in Netanyahu’s caretaker government. Following the March 2020 election, Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party and Likud formed a government in which Bennett decided not to run. When that government collapsed just over a year later, Bennett spent much of the next election campaign rejecting Netanyahu’s accusations that he would overthrow the longtime prime minister by forming a government with Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid.
